Designs on You
by stripedheart
Summary: Season Eight, sort of. Phillie.
1. The Lost Picture Show

_**Pairing: Phoebe/Billie  
Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed.  
((I wrote a one-shot called This Again, but I decided I wanted to keep going with it, so this is the story before and will continue after to anybody who read it.))**_

_**One.**_

_It was the brush in the living room. That day when the photo demon and J.D. showed up and you had to follow him around the city for hours. It was her white tank and cute pink sweater, it was her hands in her back pockets, it was her long, dark hair. _

_It was just Phoebe, really._

_It was the short second your eyes met. It was that realization that there were sparks there that you had been hoping to feel with J.D. all day. It was surprising, in a quiet way, and inconsequential. It was soft, like her, and powerful, like her. It was the wisp of perfume she trailed as she stepped around you. It was that when he kissed you, suddenly, you found yourself thinking about her- even if only for a moment. It was that confident gaze that flicked into her eyes for a brief second._

_It was all about her in one flash of feeling._

_If you look back now, you realize that. Then, it just felt right and unimposing. Now, it feels like change._

_It was Phoebe, actually._

_And that's what made all the difference._

IOIOI

Bille stood by the kitchen sink, staring out into the low tree branches and the white stars shining through. The moon's glow reflected off her metallic blue top and up into her eyes. They were lost in her own thoughts, though, and she wasn't really seeing much. How could she have been so _stupid_? She should have known what would happen. She should have stopped him. She sure as _hell_ shouldn't have kissed him. It was so _stupid_. She sighed, arms braced against the sink and eyes to the sky. She heard footsteps behind her and rolled her eyes tiredly.

"Billie-" It was Phoebe, surprisingly, and it caught the blonde off-guard for a moment, "-it's not your fault."

"Yes, it is." Billie responded without turning around. Her voice grew a little quieter and her eyes dropped to the sink. "I should have stopped him." She said simply.

"If you could have, you would have." Phoebe argued. She was the last of the Charmed Ones to come and argue this point and, to be frank, Billie couldn't deal with her words. Not with the way her heart thumped a little harder when the older girl looked at her, not wth the thoughts running through her head. Billie turned around quickly, her face a myriad of emotions that she hoped weren't too obvious. She was so _stupid_ and mixed up and lost. "He didn't want you to." Phoebe told her. But _why_? There were tears in her eyes and she was still shocked by his death. She leaned back on the counter, unable to meet Phoebe's eyes.

"It's just so unfair. Why would J.D. come back after all this time just to die like this?" She was angry with herself, and with the way things had gone because they didn't feel real, but she knew they were. Things were so screwed up. Her eyes flicked across the kitchen, but they only landed on Phoebe's once. It was enough. The older girl was regarding her with an intensity that made Billie kind of nervous. Everything about Phoebe made Billie kind of nervous.

"We can't save every innocent." Phoebe told her gently, and Billie finally met her eyes. "We're witches, not...gods."

"I promised to protect him." Billie admitted fiercely. Phoebe gave her a grim half-smiled and glanced down at the counter she was leaning against. Billie's eyes traced her face, watched for answers. She didn't find many.

"Promises can be tricky." Phoebe told her, glancing back up. Billie looked away. "Sometimes, you just have to let things happen in their own time." Billie's eyes had been studying the ceiling, pushing back tears, but when she heard those words she looked back down into Phoebe's eyes. The girl was staring at her steadily, something glimmering in her dark depths. "In their own way." Billie watched her cursiously and those unwanted thoughts returned. It shifted the entire feel of the conversation. "Everything happens for a reason."

Billie had to look away. Phoebe's eyes felt like they were plowing right through her brain- though she didn't have anything to hide. Did she? She felt uncomfortable under the look; a little warm. Wanted. She shifted her jaw and thought about J.D. and good reasons. And bad reasons. And why a _girl _was making her uncomfortable. She sighed.

"I'm gonna go back up and help, okay?" Phoebe moved around the counter and placed a hand on Billie's shoulder. "It's okay, Billie." Bille nodded, looking across the kitchen. She moved her eyes back to Phoebe's and there was a moment of spark between them, a hum of electricity. They felt so close, energy thrumming between them, and too far away. Phoebe removed her hand and walked away. Billie watched her go.

IOIOI

Phoebe closed the bedroom door on the last of the misplaced people who were now inhabiting her house. A few them were even sleeping in her bedroom. She sighed quietly and headed toward the end of the hallway. She placed her hand on the banister and yawned a little. She and her sisters had spent the better part of the night explaining everything to the jumble of innocents and comforting the hysterical ones. There had been a lot of hysterical ones. Her hair was mussed, there were tear stains on her jacket, and her back ached, but it all felt worth it. It always did.

She entered the kitchen to find Piper and Paige standing by the island, steaming cups of tea in their hands. Paige handed her one without a word. Phoebe climbed onto a bar stool and blew on it carefully.

"What time is it?" She spoke through a yawn.

"Almost five." Leo replied as he walked into the kitchen. "Everybody's settled in the living room."

"Yeah, but what are we gonna do with them tomorrow?" Piper asked as Leo found a spot beside her.

"I'll talk to the Elders." Paige offered. "Maybe they can send them back to their time, or something." There was a blanket of exhaustion over everyone.

"Sounds good." Phoebe said.

"I'm gonna sleep in the boys' room." Piper said, setting her cup down and starting toward the door. "Good night." Leo followed her.

"Night." He echoed. Phoebe turned to Paige to ask her how Billie was doing, but the half-whitelighter sighed and set down her mug as well.

"And there's my charge." She sent a fake, ironic smile Phoebe's way and tilted her head. There was never a chance she wouldn't answer. She disappeared in a flurry of blue lights and Phoebe gazed down into her tea mug. Her thoughts were drifting, suprisingly, to Billie. The girl they were supposed to be teaching so she could help with the demon fighting. Something clenched, not entirely unpleasantly, in her stomach when she thought about the blonde. Her name felt foreign and new in her mind and the feelings associated with it were very familair.

They were her crush feelings. Except Billie was a girl and Phoebe was a girl, so crushes didn't really work that way. Maybe she was just proud. That was probably it. Except her stomach didn't feel like that whenever she thought about someone she was proud of. And she didn't want to run her fingers through their hair, or make them laugh, or get to know everything. And that was stupid because she had just broken up with Dex and it was no time to get into a new relationship. But Bille...was here. The kitchen door opened quietly and the blonde slowly walked in backwards, easing the door shut. She had successfully closed it without a sound, when Pheobe spoke.

"Billie." Phoebe said her name with a hint of warmth and a load of suprise. The younger girl whirled around, something guilty on her face.

"Hey. Um...I was just gonna stay here if that's okay, I didn't want to go all the-"

"It's fine." Phoebe interrupted her, smiling. Billie smiled back, a little nervously.

"Tea?" Phoebe offered, gesturing toward Paige's still steaming cup.

"Sure." Billie accepted, sliding onto the stool beside Phoebe. They sat in comfortable, tired silence, except Phoebe's heart kind of sped up with Billie's arm brushed her's and she couldn't stop thinking about how close the girl was. It was just hormones, she told herself. But when Billie looked over and gave her that half-confident, half-shy smile, Phoebe kind of felt like glowing.

IOIOI

It was a cool morning, crisp and windy, and the breeze caught blonde hair and tossed the wavy locks around her face. It whipped at the white rose clutched between her fingers and fought to get under her coat. Billie pulled it closer to her and knelt down carefully, the sun glaring down through the cool air.

Billie thought about what Phoebe had said- she tried to think about the words and not everything she felt about them. It just felt right to show something. To prove that not everyone had forgotten and that someone never would. It was the first innocent she had lost and she didn't see it getting any easier. As she brushed away leaves and placed the white rose on his gravestone, she sighed softly.

She thought about her sister and wondered if there was an unmarked grave somewhere with her under it. She thought about the ten or so people currently living in the Halliwell manor in the wrong time.

She thought about Phoebe and the way her eyes shone in the dark kitchen, and the way her words melted when they hit Billie. She thought maybe- _maybe_ -she was getting a girl crush on a Charmed One.

She sighed and traced letters on the gravestone. She said her goodbyes.


	2. Battle of the Hexes Prt 1

_**Two: Battle of the Hexes.**_

Phoebe had dates.

She had lots and lots of dates that she needed- _wanted_ -to go on, had to get ready for, and she did not have time to be scrounging through dusty boxes and old magical junk wearing protective gloves. Especially since Piper had abandoned her and Paige was off somewhere chasing a new charge and she was left on her own in this creepy room and, really, it just generally sucked. It smelled weird and she was thinking about Billie again and she should have been at work.

She was shifting blindly through another cardboard box when something latched onto her finger and she yanked her hand out, a noise escaping her mouth. She waved her arm frantically, a tiny pair of wooden teeth attatched to her pinky finger. She sighed when she saw it wasn't technically alive and shook it off onto the floor. It still gave her the willies. The teeth clattered and bounced around of their own accord, clicking over dusty floors. Phoebe watched them go and decided they wouldn't hurt anyone- and she wasn't going to touch them.

She sighed again, more for effect than anything else, and returned to shifting through boxes. They were mostly filled with old crap the spells had worn off of years ago, and while she could see how they'd been dangerous at the time they were just junk now. Interesting junk, but junk nonetheless. And junk that she had to shift through by herself, because her lazy, good for nothing, lead-their-own-lives sisters were off somewhere-

The doors opened on the other side of the room and Phoebe heard tenative steps falter into the room. She caught sight of a young blonde girl wearing a white patterned tank top and jeans. She looked fantastic, as always.

"Phoebe?" Billie called out as the brunette appeared from behind some shelves, dust smeared on her cheek and her hair in adorable disarray. She was wearing a loose white top and looked gorgeous. Billie smiled, just a little. "Hey, what can I do?" She asked. Phoebe waved her hand in the direction of the boxes and shelves and crates, exasperation clear on her face.

"You can help me go through all this crap!" She said. Billie, crossing the aisle that seperated them, let her eyes wander over the large room.

"What is all this stuff?" She asked, kind of impressed and kind of intimidated. Her hands went into her back pockets as she studied the giant room, leaning back on her heels.

"Just magical stuff the government didn't understand." Phoebe followed Billie's gaze and then turned back to the younger girl. "You want to help me find some teeth?" She asked hopefully. Billie looked over and raised her eyebrows. She noticed the dust on the older girl's forehead and tilted her own head a little.

"You got a little something..." She said, stretching her fingers out to rub away the dust on the girl's face. Phoebe's eyes lifted to the blonde's face and then she couldn't take them off. Her thoughts ran together, Billie's fingertips brushing away marks on her skin and creating their own, invisible, burns. Yep, that would be the crush.

Finally, the blonde dropped her now dusty fingers and met Phoebe's dark eyes. "There." She said cheerily as Phoebe looked up at her with dark eyes that told feelings and stories that Billie couldn't really understand . She understood the odd feeling in her stomach though, and the way it twisted whenever Phoebe looked at her like that. She scrunched her eyebrows a little and started to speak, when Phoebe took a step back and turned away.

"Thanks, so, teeth." She said, facing away from the girl. "They were dentures, kinda old." Billie watched the girl head off in the other direction. Her blonde hair fell across her face and her fingers trembled by her side. She was getting in too deep. This was crazy.

IOIOI

Billie plopped another box down on the metal table and quickly cut through the tape at the top with nimble fingers and a sharp knife, a little more viciously than maybe she should have. Phoebe stood on the other side of the metal bars, a phone glued to her ear and a fake laugh on her lips every other second. Billie was jealous, as she had finally admitted to herself after listening to Phoebe chat with guy after guy. She was totally jealous and she totally didn't have any reason to be. Well, she did, obviously, but she shouldn't have. She had been carrying on a one-sided conversation for the past ten minutes because she had grown so tired of listening to Phoebe talk about the same things over and over. She spoke loud, kept the jealousy to herself, and tried not to let her eyes linger on the older girl too long. Jealous? Pshh, she would get over it.

She pulled a pair of dusty- everything was dusty in there- old sunglasses and held them before her eyes.

"Wow. These are so Greta Garbo." She commented, hoping to get Phoebe's attention. She slid them onto her face. "Hey, now there's a woman who didn't need a man to make her feel complete." Okay, so maybe her insecurities were rising to the top kind of obviously. Women didn't need men, anyway. Especially not women who wanted other women. But that didn't mean that Billie was...she was tired of that line of thought because it ran across her brain all the time, so she halted it.

Phoebe glanced up from the other side of the fencing at the sound of Billie's voice, a box open before her and the phone pressed against her ear. She looked at Billie without seeing her, then noticed what the other girl was wearing.

"Hey, Billie, those are evidence, okay? Not to mention somebody probably died in them." Phoebe warned her, the phone pulled back from her mouth. She put it closer. "Hello." Her gaze lost focus as she tuned into whateveter the guy on the other line was saying. "No, I said I'm dying to see you. It just must be a really bad connection." Phoebe explained, looking back up at Billie who was returning the glasses to the box. The blonde girl walked over to the shelf and pulled off a tiny girdle. Phoebe glanced back down before Billie could catch her staring. It had been that way all afternoon and Phoebe was enjoying it, to be honest. Being around the girl made her relaxed, happier. Explain that.

"Now, this is the kind of bondage men want us in? I don't even know why you bother hooking up." _Oh, smooth Jenkins_. "After seeing this guy in class this morning, I am so sure women should be on top." Billie held out the soft, white girdle before her. She thought she was being pretty suave, using extreme feminism to get rid of her jealousy. And it seemed to be working, anyway.

"Do you mind?" Phoebe asked, the "on top" comment throwing her mind totally into the gutter. Bad thoughts that made her clutch the phone closer.

"I'm sorry. I meant that metaphorically." Billie corrected, meeting Phoebe's eyes as she walked away from the shelf and back to the box. Phoebe gestured to the phone.

"Well, I'm speaking to a guy, and he means meta--physically." She complained. Billie, back at her box and looking down into it, spoke without really thinking about the words.

"Yeah, see, that's the thing. Men keep using their little heads to do all the thinking for them." She kept shifting through the box, ignoring Phoebe's steady gaze as she ranted on. She lifted a skull out of the box and held it up without really seeing it. "You know, this whole ying/yang thing, it's a complete hoax. Look at _this _lame gig." She glanced up and gestured around the warehouse with the skull in her hand. "Once again, the male establishment is using women's awesome skills for their busywork." Phoebe rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the phone.

"You know what? I got to go, okay? Yeah, I can't wait to see you, too. Sunday. All right. Thanks. Bye." Phoebe shut the phone and slid it into her back pocket. Lifting her box, she joined Billie on the metal table. The carboard box landed beside it's match with a thump and Phoebe looked up at Billie accusingly. "Hey! Can we lay off the male bashing, _please_?" Phoebe asked. Billie, a little ashamed and a little scared that Phoebe was picking up on too much, turned and stepped away from the other girl. She put her hand among the items on the shelf and tried to ignore Phoebe's eyes on her back- tried to ignore Phoebe they way she had been all afternoon. If she thought about her too much, it turned scary. She didn't like scary.

"Sorry. I've just had one too many lame dates lately." Billie apologized off-handedly, rifling through the things. "I don't understand. Everyone I go out with is so immature and childish." _Nothing like you._ She couldn't help but think. "Does that ever change? Do they ever grow up?" She asked quietly, looking back at the brunette. Phoebe met her eyes for a second before looking back down into her box. Billie watched the side of her face for a moment before looking away.

"Well, if I ever get out of here, I'll let you know." Phoebe answered vaguely, examining something in her box. She didn't want to help Billie find a guy. Kind of the opposite, actually. The blonde girl, still at the shelf, pulled out a shiny, golden belt and examined it, fascinated.

"Hey! Check this thing out." She said, stepping back toward Phoebe with the belt in her hand. She started to wrap it around her slim waist, the two halves coming together as Phoebe's eyes turned toward her.

"No, no." Phoebe tried to stop her hurridly, stepping toward the girl frantically. "No!" She spoke too late, and Billie closed the clasp around her waist. A golden light flashed around the blonde girl and immediately her outfit, her hair, changed, transforming her into a sleek, Amazon-looking warrior. Phoebe's hands dropped back down to her waist.

"Uhhh...what just happened?" Billie looked down at her new clothes, then up at the brunette girl a few feet away.

"We're screwed. That's what happened." Phoebe answered. She put her hand to her forehead and sighed as Billie pulled at the belt around her waist.

"Phoebe, I can't get this off." The blonde said frantically. Phoebe looked up to see Billie pushing and pulling at the metal. "Phoebe?" Billie asked helplessly, looking down at the belt. "A little help?" Phoebe made a face that said it was useless, but she came closer anyway.

"Okay, hold on." The brunette said, reaching out and pulling Billie's hands away from the accessory. She put the blonde's hands out to the side where Billie held them out, and then placed her own hands onto the gold belt. Her fingertips rested against the girl's bare stomach and Billie tensed her muscles against the feel. It was instinct. Phoebe pulled once, accidentally tugging the blonde toward her. The belt didn't budge, but Billie stumbled a little, pressing into Phoebe. Suddenly, they found themselves inches apart, face to face. Phoebe's hand stayed on the belt, keeping Billie close without realizing it. The blonde stopped breathing and Phoebe could hear her own heart beat against her chest.

They stayed like for a few long moments, face to face and so, so close it felt like they were already there- wherever _there_ was. Phoebe stepped away first, taking Billie's breath and her stomach with her. Every part of her body felt like it was going in slow motion, blood pumping quicker and quicker until everything caught up. Phoebe pulled her hands off of Billie and spoke first, as well. Billie decided she wasn't very good at it. Whatever _it _was.

"Not coming off." Was all she said, but something had shifted and they could both tell. "We better go." She said, turning around and reaching for her purse. Billie finally remembered to move.

IOIOI

The sun was shining soft and bright outside onto the crowded sidewalk they hurried down. Whistles and catcalls chased them down the cement and Phoebe spoke to herself, annoyed. Billie tried to keep up, yanking at the belt on her waist and thinking about how cute Phoebe was when she muttered to herself and got angry. The way her eyebrows scrunched and her brown eyes grew brighter with fury. Billie looked up to watch the older girl's face as she muttered to herself.

"This is unbelievable. Piper takes the car. Paige orbs. Does anyone stop and think that Phoebe can't orb? No, of course not. Why? Because it's all about them." Phoebe could feel Billie's eyes on her and the other girl interrupted, forcing a tiny smile off her face.

"Ok, hi. Yeah. I can't get this thing off." Billie interjected. Phoebe turned toward the college student hurrying beside her, and was taken aback again when she saw what the blonde was wearing. It never failed to surprise her and then make her slightly uncomfortable. There was a lot of skin, some that she had seen before, a lot that she hadn't. She was kind of warm-uncomfortable. Bilile made her uncomfortable.

"Yeah. Don't even bother. It's gonna take a spell or a potion or some kind of emotional ephiphany." Phoebe waved the blonde off as they continued down the sidewalk.

"That blows." Billie sighed and glanced down at the belt. More male eyes followed them down the street and whistles abounded. She looked back to Phoebe. "Are you sure?"

"Hello! Voice of experience. I've been turned into a mermaid, a mummy, a genie. Okay? Trust me. I know these things." Phoebe was still ranting as they passed a group of construction workers. The men called out and Billie groaned in frustration. Phoebe blew them off.

"I can't believe this. I _had_ to put the belt on. I feel so stupid." She mumbled to herself, still staring down at the piece of golden metal wrapped around her waist. Phoebe glanced back to where Billie had fallen behind and moved closer to the embarrassed girl. Her blonde hair was pulled away from her face and the dreads swung around her neck. She was young, Phoebe realized again. And Phoebe was also supposed to be teaching her.

"It's okay." She reassured Billie. "Just think of it as initiation. It happens to the best of us." She continued, walking forward again, Billie following her.

"So it's not that bad?" The girl asked hopefully, a few steps from Phoebe.

"Oh no. It's bad. It's very, very bad." Phoebe repeated, using her small hands for emphasis. They danced before her and Billie watched them surreptiously. Stepping down from the curb, more voices- still male -called out from around them as they crossed the street. Billie glared, close to hysterics or at least a couple tears now.

"Hey! Super-hero babe! Over here!" Somebody yelled, and Billie groaned.

"Please, someone vanquish me now." She said, as they walked along a crosswalk. Phoebe reached back and placed a comforting hand on the small of her back. Literally, the small of her back, because there was no material covering it and Phoebe could feel the small, soft hairs form goosebumps along the girl's skin when she touched her. She moved her forward gently, not stopping to think about what that meant.

"Ok, we got to get you out of here." They stepped back onto the curb and Phoebe threw out her hand. "Taxi!" She yelled. One squealed up almost instantly, probably due to Billie's outfit. Phoebe let her hand rest on Billie's skin until she had to step away. The blonde reached out to open the door, only to have it come off in her hand. She held it a few feet off the ground effortlessly, her face a picture of shock. Phoebe gasped.

"What the hell did you do to my cab?" The driver asked, turning around in his seat with a confused look on his face.

"Put it back, put it back. Put it back." Phoebe told her hurridly and Billie pressed it back against the taxi. "Let's go." Phoebe took her arm and pulled her away from the scene. People were gathering around the taxi that was now missing a door. They disappeared into the crowd.

The door fell off the car and clanged to ground.

IOIOI

"Hippolyta's belt, huh?" Phoebe said, flipping through the Book of Shadows, but not seeing much.

"Yep. Crazy, feminist goddess and her toy." Billie was leaning over her shoulder, her stomach almost brushing Phoebe's back, and the older girl found it hard to think. Finally, she grew fed up with the sweet scent of Billie's perfume and she moved away. They had been up there for a few minutes, just flipping through the book for spells or info, but Billie's nearness had made her- and there was that word again -uncomfortable.

Billie watched Phoebe walk away, a little hurt that girl was obviously uncomfortable around her. Maybe because she was new? She opened her mouth to say something, but then shut it again. Now wasn't the time. She turned back to the book.

Across the room, Phoebe looked up from the powders and potions laid before her. She watched Billie in her super hero outfit, looking adorable and kind of dangerous, flipping through the Books of Shadows. She was kind of nervous around the blonde, considering the freak out she'd had when Piper tried to blow up the belt. She knew it was only a matter of time before Billie began to give into the belt's will. The other girl glanced up, apparently feeling Phoebe's eyes on her, and the brunette looked down quickly. Billie's eyes lingered on her face.

An awkward silence descended upon the room.

"Hey, Phoebe?" Billie interrupted it, because something inside her felt brave and in control all of the sudden. "Do you like me?" Phoebe dropped one of the potions to the floor and it exploded beneath her feet, sending up a wave of grey smoke and clouding her. A look of fear washed over Billie's face, until Phoebe stepped back, coughing, a second later. "Phoebe?" Billie asked, moving closer.

"Lucky that wasn't finished." Phoebe coughed, waving smoke away from her face. Billie was by her side, concerned and moving her toward the couch. She sat the brunette down and quickly took a spot beside her.

"Are you okay?" Billie asked and Phoebe nodded, still a little shocked. Billie waited for a moment, feeling the quiet seep back between them. "So?" She prodded. "Do you like me?" Again with that unnatural confidence.

Phoebe was choking on her words, trying not to give into the paranoia that told her Billie was asking her a much harder question than it sounded. She just looked away from the girl's curious blue eyes and down to the floor.

"What do you mean? Of course Iike you." Phoebe assured her, looking up to meet her eyes. She smiled confidently and started to get up. Billie had a flash of knowing, right in her heart, right where it mattered, and she reached out with superhuman stength and speed and grabbed Phoebe's arm gently. The other girl looked down, surprised more at the speed than the action. Billie pulled the brunette down beside her and moved closer, until they were almost as near as they had been in that warehouse, with barely a heartbeat between them.

"But do you like me?" She breathed across the space, quiet and light and laden with fresh meaning.

Her courage deserted her when Phoebe edged closer.

She was looking at Phoebe's mouth, and she was filled with something like dread and leftover adrenaline, quickly backing out of it and not sure what _it_ was in the first place. She remembered to breathe, felt goosebumps rise on her skin, knew something was coming. Saw Phoebe move even closer, tenatively. Her own fingers were trembling a little. Nothing like a first kiss. Wait, _kiss_?

"Found anything yet?" Billie guessed in a house full of people, they couldn't expect a moment of privacy. Phoebe pulled back so fast she might have gotten whiplash. Piper walked into the room with a few potion ingrediants in her arms, and only glanced up when Phoebe darted away from the couch. Billie was left alone, but then again she had pulled back a few feet when Piper's voice had rung out across the attic. The oldest sister frowned. "Is everything okay?" She asked. Both girls nodded.

"Yeah." Phoebe recovered quickly. "Just looking up Hippolyta." She headed toward the book again. Billie remained on the couch, watching the older girl move. Piper took her place behind the table, scattering ingrediants across it. Phoebe flipped through the book. Piper may not have felt it, but a tension was coursing so thick between Billie and Phoebe that neither could think straight.

Phoebe could feel Billie's breath on her lips, and Billie could see Phoebe's mouth moving closer. It was too soon to regret, too late to take back.

Their eyes met across the room and then broke apart.

Maybe it hadn't been anything at all.


	3. Battle of the Hexes Prt 2

_**Three. Battle of the Hexes**_

Phoebe pulled the old, wooden, freqently beat up chair out from under the potion table and pushed it toward Billie. The other girl looked at it doubtfully. Piper was hovering off in the background pretending to mix herbs, but really watching the two girls with interest. They were acting a bit odd.

"Okay, you just sit down right here and relax until we can figure out a way to get this thing off you." Phoebe said, staring straight into Billie's green eyes. She had decided to blame the belt for all their nearness, weirdness, and general awkwardness during the past ten minutes. The belt had an anti-men effect, so it was possible it affected them in a romantic way as well. That's all it was, really. Just a little mixed up magic. Billie sat down in the chair gingerly, watching Phoebe for any sign she was going to either finally act normal or flip out and start spewing spells. She seemed really on edge and Billie thought maybe she knew why.

"If we can." Piper spoke up from behind the table. Phoebe shot her a warning look and Piper tried to awkwardly add onto her sentence. "...if we can, we should soon before she turns any more men invisible." Piper corrected herself. Phoebe looked down, studying the blonde sitting below her. The gentle curve of her jaw and her long, brown eyelashes. There was that belt effect, she thought to herself. She stepped away, tried to push it away, and ended up beside Piper.

"Well, you and I both know something horrible is gonna have to happen before we can get her out of that get-up." Phoebe admitted, looking down at the Book of Shadows open before her older sister. She didn't really mind the get-up, to be honest, there was a lot of skin, and she liked Billie's skin...in a completely platonic sort of- nope, there was no way to make that not weird. She chocked it up to the belt, again. The thing she was worried about was it's eventual effect on Billie. Cursed anything was never good.

Billie moved out of her seat, rising to her feet quickly, and Phoebe barely had time to look up in her direction before the blonde smashed some sort of potion against the metal around her waist. A plume of smoke billowed around her and quickly dissipated, leaving her standing and unharmed. Frowning, she looked down at her belt, which remained firmly around her waist, but now held a long, silver scratch across the front.

"Ohh, I scratched my pretty belt!" She pouted, tilting the gleaming gold up to examine it. Phoebe frowned, because it may have been a little cute, but it was definitely not good and hell, they had to fix things soon before it got out of hand, because she did _not_ think Billie was cute. Stupid belt.

"Oh dear, now it's her 'pretty belt'." Piper muttered from across the table, a hint of sarcasm in her words.

"What does that mean?" Billie shot back, a little defensively. Phoebe stepped toward the girl, trying to ward off any misplaced anger.

"It just means that maybe the belt is starting to affect you." Phoebe explained, as Billie met her eyes. _And me too_. She thought. Phoebe liked being the center of the girl's attention, because she wasn't often, but not when Billie had a slight glint in her dark green eyes.

"I don't think the belt is starting to affect me. Okay? I would know if- oh, hold on. I think I'm getting a call." She paused mid-sentence and looked up to the ceiling, a hand near her ear, as if listening to something no one but her could hear. Piper watched her warily.

"A call?" The older girl questioned.

"Yeah. I'll be right back." Billie answered, then a whirl of dust and flying furniture and she was out of the attic and who knows where, going faster than any human could.

"Oh!" Phoebe exclaimed.

IOIOI

They hadn't found anything in the forty-five minutes they'd had to themselves, except for a few mythlogy tales confirming what they already knew. Piper was thumping her fingers against the table the way she did when something worried her, and Phoebe shot her an annoyed glance. The same one she'd been giving the older girl for the past few minutes- hell, for the past few lifetimes. There was a heavy rock in her chest that made it hard for her to breathe easily and she just wanted to _do _something. Suddenly, Piper turned her head up and tilted her face, listening hard.

"Do you hear something?" She asked, squinting a little. Phoebe frowned, listening as well.

"No, I...is that Leo?" She frowned and sent Piper a look, but the older sister was already halfway to the door. They found him downstairs underneath the front door- how that had happened was still unclear. They put it back up just in time to have Billie knock it down again. The girl spun into the room, waving a gust of wind through all of them, before stopping a few inches from Phoebe. The older girl jumped a little, backing away, and Billie felt something tug in her chest. _Stupid girl crush_, she thought, but the feeling faded so quickly amid bravado and power that she almost forgot she'd had it at all.

"Whoa, watch the door." Leo warned, just as it crashed to the floor again. Billie glanced over at it.

"Um, sorry. I'm still getting used to this blurring thing, but oh, is it fun." Billie apologized without really being sorry at all, a certain tone teasing in her voice. Phoebe frowned at her, worried and annoyed. Mostly worried.

"Fun? You're having fun? We were worried about you, where have you been?" Phoebe asked, and the younger girl turned her attention to Phoebe.

"Well, let's see." She said, without ever really meeting Phoebe's eyes. She started ticking off on her fingers. "I rescued a woman in distress, I killed off a bunch of male demons, and I scratched my pretty belt again." She frowned through the last few words and looked down at the gold still around her waist, obviously very concerned about the welfare of a piece of metal. Piper and Phoebe shared a look.

"Okay Billie, I think you're getting too attatched to that thing." Phoebe said, stepping a little closer. Billie moved back, almost unconciously, and Phoebe halted. It was kind of an opposite of what had happened earlier and that made her stomach hurt, a little. Stupid belt and stupid effects and damn if she couldn't even tell what they really were anymore.

"Yeah, until we get it off, maybe you should kind of stay put." Piper added, still hovering near where she thought Leo was, just in case. Billie really frowned at Piper's words, glaring at her, and then Phoebe, angrily.

"No, I don't want to take it off. It makes me feel powerful." She explained, her hands firm on it. Phoebe frowned.

"See, that's the problem." Leo said firmly from somewhere behind Piper. A soft, red glow emitted from the belt over the two Halliwell sisters, but faded an instant later.

"Actually here's a problem." Piper started, her demeanor suddenly and totally changed. Beside her, Phoebe's phone began to ring. "Why are men so threatened by powerful women?" Piper questioned angirly. Phoobe flicked open her phone and began to speak.

"Hey, look, I'm busy. I'll call you when I have time." She snapped the phone shut without another word. "There is nothing worse than a needy guy." She complained, waving her cell for emphasis.

"Right." Piper agreed.

"Uh, laides, I think the belt's affecting you, too." Leo cut in, watching the two girls carefully.

"Oh, shush it, will you?" Piper returned huffily, not bothering to try to figure out where he was.

"Is there any way you can make his voice disappear?" Phoebe added her two cents, barely glancing at Billie.

"Which means it's growing stronger." Leo continued, ignoring them and warning them at the same time. Billie shot him- or where she guessed he was- a look of disdain and spoke dismissively.

"Oh, you are such a downer. No wonder I made you invisible." She glanced over at the clock by the wall and made a face. "Oops, my midterm. I almost forgot." She made to leave, but Piper stopped her.

"Hey, can you make Leo visible again before you go?" She asked and Billie responded with a disappointed pout.

"Really? Why?" She asked, looking over to where his voice had been earlier. Piper sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes.

"Well he's got to play golf apparently to get me a band. So what can I tell you? It's a man's world." She explained. Beside her, Phoebe picked at her nails boredly. Leo chuckled a little wryly, a little nervously. A man's world and he was at the mercy of a cursed female witch.

"I guess I can try." Billie offered. She flicked out her hands as she had seen Piper do a hundred times, and blue flames of electricity shot out. They gathered into a body and Leo slowly appeared before them. "Oh, it worked. Right on." Billie grinned happily, and sped off without another word. The door fluttered on the ground with her wake. The moment she was out of the room, Piper frowned. Phoebe glanced down, confused, at the phone in her hand.

"What the hell just happened?" Piper asked, looking over at her younger sister, and then to her husband.

"I think her powers are getting stronger." Phoebe said worridly, slipping her phone into her pocket and looking out the door as if Billie would come running back in.

"And taking over her." The now visible Leo added.

"Well, then we have to stop her." Piper finished. She started toward the stairs with Leo close behind. Phoebe lingered by the door, her hands in her back pockets and her eyes far away. She had to think, she had to figure it out, because otherwise it would be too late. She couldn't be too late.

IOIOI

Billie was really tired. No, she was beyond tired. Every bone in her body was _aching_- her fingertips hurt. She felt like she was in slow-mo. After the fiasco that had been her mid-term, the sudden brawl she had apparently caused between the girls and boys, she had somehow ended up with this Zira person-demon; she couldn't handle all of it. She slouched down in the barely comfortable chair against the wall in Magic School, and watched the two demons speak quietly. She didn't feel quite right. She was talking demons, she knew they were demons, and she wasn't concerned about it. Maybe Phoebe and Piper had been right, maybe- Zira appeared next to her again, she had barely left her side since Billie's arrival with her.

"Anything you need? Do you want to talk?" The female demon asked, offered. Billie shook her head no.

"I think maybe I should-" She started to get up, prepared to return to the Halliwell mansion, but Zira put a surprisingly strong hand on her shoulder and pushed her back down. Billie didn't have any strength to resist her. "I need to go home." She protested weakly.

"Don't you see?" Zira implored, kneeling beside her. Billie, face pale and eyes shadowy, could barely keep her eyes on the demon. "Women have evolved while men have grown more barbaric. Your destiny is to unite women- bring peace to the world. And I can help." Every bit of Billie disagreed, but something deeper and with more force was holding her in place. She thought of her glowing belt, wrapped around her waist, and the power it held. Was it using that power on her? Why did everything she had wanted seem less important now?

"But you're a demon." She managed. Zira shook her head.

"But I don't want to be. Nor with your powers will I have to be anymore. This whole good-versus-evil paradigm-- it's all been fostered by men to divide us, because they can't create life. So they try to destory it." That sounded like complete bull to Billie, but again something held her to the chair, pulled her back.

"I don't know." She said weakly, her face growing paler by the minute.

"Peace. Harmony. Just...like...you. With women ruling, good and evil goes away. All walks of life live as one. Of course, we may have to kill a few..de-men in the process. But that's where you come in." Zira slowly guided Billie into her plan, trying to coerce her. Billie just shook her head, weak but not totally helpless.

"I should talk to the sisters first." She argued. _Especially Phoebe. She'll know what to do._ Billie thought. _God, I should go back_.

"They don't belive in a women's utopia like we do. They're stuck in the old ways, battles." Zira explained patiently, though there was something urgent to her voice.

"No, no, they're very strong women." Billie disagreed vehemently. If there was one thing she was sure of, it was the power and strength of the Charmed Ones.

"Who have been corrupted by the male heirachy." Zira countered. "They're scared of change. They'll do anything to stop you, which is why it's so important we take over Magic School, make it our base. Peace. Unity. Think about it." Zira gave her a reassuring smile. Well, it was supposed to be reassuring, but it came off a little evil and intimidating. The demon moved away again. Billie was still slunk in the chair, tired and worn out. She didn't agree with everything Zira said, but something tugged at a nature inside her. It made her pause, doubt things she believed. She didn't like it. She wasn't sure what was going on at all, but every time she disagreed with the demon, her muscles grew weaker and her mind hazier. She couldn't keep going and she just really wanted to lie down and stay there.

IOIOI

"So here's what we know." Phoebe was swinging a crystal lightly above their map of San Francisco, still scrying for Billie. She looked across the table at Piper and Leo, and spoke more with her eyes than her words. Or maybe that was just Piper's sister intuition. "Billie is wearing Hippolyta's belt and she can't take it off. Everyone who's worn it before tries to kill off the entire male race and then eventually goes insane and dies." Phoebe tried to keep her voice even, but she couldn't quite fit her tongue around the word 'die'. It didn't sound right in her mouth, or to her ears, the same way Leo's voice sounded off when he said 'cute' or when Piper said 'dude'. "The only difference is that Billie was a powerful witch _before_ she put the belt on."

"Which means she'll have a better chance of reaching her goal." Leo concluded.

"Well that's great, but even if we could stop her, we'd have to find her first." Piper said, arms folded over her chest. She was more worried than she let on, but Leo was first. Always. And a powerful witch who could kill him was a danger no matter who it was. Phoebe sighed, eyes back on the map.

"Anyway, I'm going to play golf." Leo leaned over and kissed Piper on the cheek before disappearing downstairs.

"Well, this isn't working. Either super-Billie's completely taken over or she just doesn't want to be found." Phoebe said, lying the crystal down on the map and pushing her hands against the table.

"Well, we could try the "to call a lost witch" spell. If there's any witch left in her, it should bring her back whether she likes it or not." Piper suggested. Phoebe sank down into the chair, fingertips rubbing her forehead.

"Well, what if that doesn't work?" She asked.

"Well, than mankind has a serious problem." Piper replied, not willing to put up with Phoebe's worry. She stood up and headed over to the Book of Shadows.

"I should have stopped her." Phoebe muttered to herself as she joined her sister by the Book.

"Don't worry about it. It's a job hazard. It would have happened sooner or later." Piper replied, flipping toward the well-worn page near the beginning of the Book.

"She's gonna be pretty upset when she comes back here. Do you think we should call Paige?" Phoebe asked, looking up at Piper. The truth was, she didn't know if she could deal with super-Billie who had super powers of persuasion- especially not the way she'd been reacting lately- and Piper was being way over protective.

"No. She's got her own innocent to save. Besides, if Billie gets here and we can't handle it, we'll call for her." Piper said. She reached for Phoebe's hand and they looked down at the page before them.

"Power of witches rise; course unseen across the skies; come to us who call you near; come to us and settle here." They recited the familiar rhyme and Billie appeared suddenly in the center of the room. She looked tired, bags under her eyes, but there was a fierce, almost deranged look in her eyes. She frowned.

"What did you do that for?" She asked, brushing off her shoulder. Her feet ached and the spell had used up even more strength- her last reserves, maybe. She really wanted to sleep and all of Zira's constant preaching was starting to get to her. Now this. Who did they think they were?

"We were just worried about you, that's all." Phoebe said simply. Billie didn't look so hot and Phoebe frowned a little. She wanted to help, but she was running out of ideas on how to.

"That's bull." Billie replied quickly. She met Phoebe's eyes with the same accusing, half-empty stare she had been using all afternoon. Like she wasn't really seeing her. "You just don't want me to create my Utopia." She accused, moving an inch closer. Phoebe stood her ground, although Billie's tormented green eyes tested her resolve. She hated curses.

"Your what?" Was Piper's response, confusion and disbelief written across her face. Phoebe caught on a little quicker.

"Are you kidding? We love Utopias. We're witches, you know. We're into the girl power." She appeased.

"Fine. What do you want?" Billie asked, taking another step forward. Her inhibitions seemed to fade with the appearance of the belt, and the only thing she was really inhibiting was wanting to be near Phoebe.

"We just wanna talk, see how you're doing." Phoebe said innocently, allowing Billie to move closer. Just to exactly where she wanted the blonde..."Now!" She exclaimed. Piper dropped a crystal carefully to complete the tiny circle they enclosed around Billie. A light blue shield circled her.

"Aah!" Billie growled with rage and slammed her hands against the invisible wall, only to be pushed back by jolts of running power. A feral look grew in her eyes, like a caged animal. She wasn't seeing much anymore. "You lied to me! Zira was right." She said, studying the ground around her.

"Zira?" Phoebe asked. Billie focused carefully, blocking out the older girl who lingered in her concious. She stretched out her arms, felt the edges of the confinement with her mind, and shot out everything she had in her, pushed it out in a blast of radiating power that sent shockwaves through the crystal containment. Phoebe and Piper ducked behind the couch as the crystals flew apart and the attic was decimated by the power. "There's no wrath like a woman scorned." Billie said, before disappearing. Phoebe shut her eyes, still crouched behind the furniture, unwilling to believe that things had gone downhill so suddenly. Beside her, Piper rose.

"Huh. We have to find her and bring her back here 'cause I am not cleaning up this mess."


	4. Battle of the Hexes Prt 3

_**Four. Battle of the Hexes.**_

Billie crouched on the floor at Magic School, watching the demon warily. She had returned to Magic School only to find an army of male demons encircling Zira. Still mad at the Chamed Ones- at _Phoebe_, at the world- she had lashed out before thinking and now found herself overcome by a massive amount of demons. They were dwindling, though, slow and steady. They were strong, but she was so much stronger.

She sent another blast of power from her fingertips and watched as another demon disenigrated into flames and dust, leaving a scorched spot on the marble and not much else. Zira had moved from her spot behind the table and was helping as best she could. The leader of the demons, as far as Billie could tell, lay on the ground before her. He growled low in his throat and braced his arms as the blonde came nearer.

"You set me up." He directed his words toward Zira, who moved closer to him.

"Its called evolution, Tai. You're kind's irrelevant." She said, stalking toward him. He moved his attention to the young, blonde witch hovering ahead.

"You fool." He spat. "She's just using you. There's no battle of the sexes. The eternal battle is between good and evil." Billie flicked her hands toward him before he could keep spitting out nonsense. He roared angrily and flames surrounded him, consumed him. He burned for a few painfully bright seconds before disappearing into dust. A quick flick and the last demon hiding across the room was gone as well. Billie sighed and slumped her shoulders as she felt her energy leave her.

Behind Billie and Zira, wet footprints padded through an overturned cauldron. Leo, invisible and wary, crept across the room toward the bookshelf. This was the Charmed Ones last hope- the chance that maybe Magic School's library held something they didn't have. And Leo was after it. The sisters were hiding by the entrance, keeping a close eye on Leo's progress. Phoebe kept her eyes on Billie.

"I can't believe he's finally dead." Zira mused as she stared at the burnt spot on the floor. "It seems almost anticlimactic." Billie didn't respond. Her muscles were beginning to ache even worse now that the urgency of the battle had faded. Zira's minion, as Billie had taken to calling him, appeared from behind a row of dusty curtains.

"Is he really gone?" The demon questioned, a look of relief passing across his face.

"You missed one." Zira waved her hand casually toward the guy. Billie echoed the action, trailing her fingers forward as he tried to make a run for it. Lightening flew across the room and the guy was ashes in a short moment.

Billie sighed, a wave of exhaustion running through her body. She started toward a chair a few feet away, with Zira hovering behind.

On the other side of the room, Leo flipped through few books, sliding them from the shelf. Phoebe watched the scene unfold, her stomach in permanent knots. Billie took a seat and Zira kneeled before her, a look of faked concern on her face.

"Are you all right? You don't look very well." Zira frowned, though truthfully it was all working out the way she had planned. Billie had served her use- she would die soon.

"I don't feel very good." Billie admitted, rubbing her hand against her forehead. She felt dizzy and hurt, and everything was sort of spinning away from her. She rubbed at her eyes again. She thought about the Charmed Ones, wondered if they could help. What was happening?

"It's all right. You just rest." Zira reassured her, a little dismissively. Behind them, Leo continued his search. "It'll all be over soon, I promise." She said. Billie frowned. Something was definitely wrong. She didn't understand what was draining her energy- she wasn't _doing_ anything.

"Sooner than you think." A familiar voice rang out from the doorway, and Billie quickly turned her head to see the Charmed Ones standing at the door. Phoebe was watching her carefully, her words still ringing through the room. They started inside and Billie jumped to her feet, swaying slightly when she was up.

"What are you doing here?" She was defensive almost immediately. She couldn't help it- the words just flowed out of her mouth without any input from her.

"We've come to save you." Piper replied, stalking in with her sisters.

"Again." Paige added.

"You can't save her. It's too late." Zira taunted, moving away from both Billie and the Charmed Ones. She glanced around as if she would find something that would help her out of the mess she had created. She didn't catch sight of the open book hovering a few feet off the ground by the bookshelf. Piper glanced over the tilted words quickly.

"Wanna bet?" She asked, a hint of disdain in her voice.

"Book." Paige held out her arms and the heavy, open book orbed into her arms. Phoebe stood to the side, her eyes rarely leaving Billie. She wanted to make sure she was safe, that she wouldn't suddenly attack…that she would actually stay standing. The young blonde was swaying unsteadily on her feet, although her eyes radiated anger.

"They're after your belt. Kill them." Zira quietly ordered Billie, not willing to doubt her power over the incapacitated girl. Billie, confused but going with her anger, turned toward the Charmed Ones. Phoebe's eyes widened.

"No!" Invisible Leo yelled from behind them.

"Leo!" Piper yelled. He dove at Billie suddenly, or at least they guessed he did, because she hit the floor and Leo's voice rang out from near her.

"Say the damn spell!" He called out. The girls leaned over the book and read the words rapidly, before anyone could react.

"For all the world to work as one, in harmony it must come undone." They recited. The belt unlocked and fell from Billie's slender waist. Instantly, she transformed back into a college student, in a tank and slim jeans. She looked down, confused, then back up. A look of realization and embarrassment bloomed on her tired face.

A few feet away, Zira watched the group of them warily, judging her chances.

"Belt!" Paige called out, waving her hand. The golden piece of cursed metal flew from the floor and orbed around Zira's waist. The demon went up in flames almost instantly, the belt going with her. Paige sighed. Piper, always in control, moved forward with a potion bottle clutched in her hand.

"Alright, come out, come out, wherever you are." She said, looking around blindly for her husband. She threw the potion bottle, hitting him squarely in the chest. Leo faded back into sight. She smiled. "It's good to see you."

"It's good to be seen." Leo grinned back. Billie frowned, confused and out of place. No one else seemed fazed.

"What just happened?" Billie asked.

"Leo just saved your life." Paige responded, a few feet away. Phoebe, moving closer to Billie without really realizing it, smiled at the sight of her sister and brother-in-law; the perfect example of a good marriage. Plus, the exact opposite of what Billie had been aiming for.

"Yin/yang working together, just as it should be." She said a little pointedly, moving beside the young blonde girl. She didn't know whether the pointed part was for her or Billie. Billie sighed anyway, meeting Phoebe's eyes. There was something rolling under the surface that was too complicated for them to really express. They shared an awkward look for a few moments. Billie looked away.

"Good job, Yang." Piper grinned up at Leo.

"Thanks, Yin." Leo smiled back, leaning down for a kiss. They both chuckled. Billie smiled a little. Phoebe watched Billie. The married couple broke apart, wrapped around each other and smiling happily.

IOIOI

"_I _did all this?" Billie asked, disbelief written clearly away her features. Phoebe smiled a little at the look and nodded.

"Yeah. You were mad." Phoebe said, leaning over to scoop up a shattered piece of wood,

"I only remember pieces, and this is definitely not one of them." Billie said, leaning down as well to scoop up a fragmented picture frame. One specific piece she did remember involved Phoebe and almost first kisses and that was just completely weird. She sighed and plopped down on the old Victorian sofa off to the side. She was so tired she couldn't even imagine cleaning up the giant mess.

"You okay?" Phoebe asked, seeing the exhaustion in the slump of her shoulders. She sat down beside the girl. Billie shook her head and, without even thinking about it, leaned down and placed her head in Phoebe's lap. Looking out at the attic, she shut her eyes slowly, unable to keep them open.

"I am so tired." She told Phoebe. The older girl smiled above her and ran her fingers gently over Billie's golden locks.

"It's been a long day." Phoebe amended, sliding her fingers into Billie's hair. The girl sighed contentedly and shut her eyes, moving back just the slightest bit. Moving closer to Phoebe. She really was so tired she could barely walk, and she couldn't imagine wanting to be anywhere else than with the older witch.

"Phoebe?" Billie murmured after a few long, comfortable moments.

"Hmm?" Phoebe asked. The two of them being like that really was too much to ask for. It was so comfortable and almost necessary that she couldn't question it.

"Thanks for saving me today and everything." She said quietly, eyes still closed. For some reason, Phoebe chuckled. Billie leaned up, taking her head off of Phoebe's lap but remaining close.

"What?" She crinkled her eyebrows, a little smile on her face as a result of Phoebe's.

"I was just thinking about the time…"

IOIOI

P3 was throbbing with music and talk and laughter, packed on a Friday night and brimming with good times. Piper was proud. Sipping at her drink, she followed her younger sister through the crowd. She didn't know where they were going, but she hoped they could sit when they got there. The day had been wearing.

They reached one of her booths, wedged by the stairs and close to the stage. Billie sat in one of the seats and somehow Piper was not surprised that Phoebe had led them there, to her.

"That better be a virgin colada. I don't want to lose my license the same night I land Liz Phair." Piper warned the young girl, taking a spot on her right side. Phoebe had already claimed the left.

"Oh, don't worry. I think I've caused enough trouble for you guys this week." Billie responded, rolling her eyes. She turned to Phoebe and shared a quick smile. Phoebe was sitting close to her and Billie leaned in almost instinctively.

"You were bound to turn into something eventually." Phoebe amended, placing a soft hand on Billie's arm. Piper noticed, but held her tongue.

"Yeah, but Wonder Witch?" Billie asked, laughing a little. "Not to mention I almost terminated an entire gender." She said, her tone dropping a little unhappily. She was disappointed in herself.

"Yeah, but the point is that you didn't." Phoebe said, her fingers still resting lightly on the blonde's forearm. As much as Billie wanted to just ignore them they burned against her skin, reminding her constantly they were there. She was afraid soft goose bumps were forming on her skin.

"Thankfully." Piper added.

"Yeah, I just wish I wasn't so confused about men." Billie said. Piper's eyebrows raised at that comment. Phoebe froze for half an instant before she recovered. Her heart beat a little faster.

"Don't worry. You'll figure it out eventually." Phoebe assured her, finally pulling her hand back. She placed it in her lap. Billie found that she actually missed the touch, the closeness. She wondered if she'd said something. But that was stupid. Of course she hadn't.

"I know, but I'm still a little gun shy." Billie admitted, pressing a little further.

"It's okay." Phoebe told her. "You have time." Piper decided to stay quiet. She felt out of the loop around them.

"Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together! Welcome to P3 Liz Phair!" The Emcee called out across the crowd and a roar if people answered his voice. Cheers followed the girl onto the stage.

"I still can't believe Leo got her!" Billie said excitedly as the three of them got to their feet to cheer.

"Yeah, you know. Guys. Golf. Go figure." Piper said, shrugging.

"To the mystery of men." Phoebe chuckled a little, raising her glass. Piper and Billie followed suit, clinking with each other before downing their drinks. Liz Phair started to sing on the stage. Billie turned her eyes to the older brunette beside her and found herself staring- it was especially noticeable after Phoebe caught her. She raised an eyebrow in her direction and Billie blushed. She looked away. Phoebe smiled to herself and let her eyes trace Billie's face. On the stage, Liz Phair sang.

"…you know I'm praying for it…"


	5. The Inbetween

_**Five.**_

Phoebe slid another unread stack of papers across her desk and dropped her face into her hands dramatically. The work was piling up in front of her and she couldn't seem to find the will to even _begin_ any of it. She spent her hours, her days, trying to figure out how to escape her job and get home. It was her work she was talking about, the work she loved doing more than anything she could imagine, and yet she left early in the afternoon, showed up late every morning, and went on exceedingly long lunch breaks where all she did was sit around at home and watch _Friends_, waiting for-

A wry smile crept onto her face, showing through gaps between her fingers. Her thoughts had almost betrayed her, again, almost as clearly as her actions. It would have sucked, except it was_ funny_. She had a crush on a girl almost eight years younger, one who said like in every other sentence and wore tank tops smaller than some of Phoebe's underwear. Not that Phoebe was anything but fashionable, anything but sexy, but…Billie was something else entirely.

Not to mention, a girl.

She twisted her hair around her fingers when she was bored or concentrating; she hated tea and said as much whenever Phoebe sipped it around her; she never failed to smile when she walked into the Hailliwell Manor at lunch to see Phoebe already stretched out on the couch. Phoebe's smile widened a little bit as she thought back.

_Billie came around the corner, a smile already playing at the corner of her mouth when she heard Rachel and Joey's voices coming from the sitting room. _Friends_ meant Phoebe and Phoebe always made her smile. The older girl was laying on the couch sideways, watching the show with an empty plate on the coffee table and a glass of water beside her. She glanced up when Billie walked in and flashed her own brilliant smile, sitting up just a little to welcome her._

"_Hi." Phoebe said, immediately forgetting about the television. _

"_Hey.' Billie lifted the girl's bare feet and sat where they had been a second before. She let them fall back down onto her lap, her fingers resting over Phoebe's ankles._

"_You're late." Phoebe said casually, turning back to the tv. Billie glanced over at the brunette- who really didn't seem the type to waste her lunch breaks on _Friends_, but then apparently she was –and quirked an eyebrow confidently._

"_For what?" She asked curiously. She liked Phoebe- a little too much maybe. And she really liked teasing the girl, especially when she- there it was, that tiny blush spreading across her cheeks._

"From_ what." Phoebe explained, her cheeks still rose-tinted. "You're usually here earlier." She risked a glance toward the blonde, her feet still resting the younger girl's lap. Billie had her eyes on the tv. Her thumb twitched slightly against Phoebe's foot and the older girl held her breath for a second._

"_I stopped to have coffee with this guy from Pysch." Billie said. She thought she felt Phoebe's legs tense beneath her touch, but the brunette relaxed an instant later and she wasn't sure if she had imagined it. Billie failed to the mention that the guy was in an extremely committed relationship and was just trading notes with her- they hadn't even really had coffee, just met at a cart on campus._

"_Oh." It took Phoebe a few moments to recover, but she finally did. "Potential hookup?" She asked, tilting her head toward Billie. For a second, Billie didn't say anything and Phoebe wondered if the girl had heard her._

"_Nah." Billie finally said, turning toward Phoebe and smiling. "Probably not." Their eyes sparked when they met, both pairs testing the water, treading so carefully they didn't see the emotion reflected in the other. Billie smirked a little wickedly and trailed her fingers across the sole of Phoebe's foot. The brunette laughed instantly, wriggling to pull her feet from Billie's grasp. The blonde let go easily and Phoebe curled up on the other side of the couch, sending Billie a glare. The blonde grinned back._

_It was kind of odd, really, the way they acted so intimately without even thinking about it. The natural teasing and casual touching that had become part of their relationship. Phoebe loved it- _relished_ it- always came back for more. She skipped out on lunch dates and department meetings to watch _Friends_ with Billie every day; she went to work late in order to share coffee with the blonde; and she left early to make it to dinner, to sit beside the younger girl at the table, brushing hands innocently and leaning close to share inside jokes. And Billie always appeared, that little smirk on her face, moving in a little too close to the brunette and teasing confidently._

_It wasn't really right, but she didn't really care._

_The closing credits rolled across the screen and Phoebe glanced over at the clock in the other room._

"_Shit, I have to go to work." She said, standing up a little quickly. She had been waiting for Billie and lost track of time- she was definitely going to be late. The blonde crossed her legs as Phoebe leaned over to scoop her purse out of the chair. She was passing Billie to leave when the girl spoke up._

"_Wait." Billie said impulsively, crooking her finger toward the brunette. "You got a little…" She trailed off as Phoebe leaned closer, her eyes following Billie's beckoning finger. Billie pointed her finger towards the expanse of skin bared by Phoebe's low cut top and the older girl glanced down. Billie smirked and flicked her finger up, tapping Phoebe's nose. "Too easy." Billie remarked, her smile in her voice._

_Phoebe chuckled and pulled back. Reaching out, she cupped Billie's chin her hand. She bent forward and pressed a kiss into the blonde girl's forehead._

"_Watch it, Jenkins. I'm a scary witch." She warned. She was a little surprised at her bold actions and her smile was shaky. With one last look in Billie's direction, she shouldered her purse and walked into the hallway._

_Billie was left sitting on the couch, a blush creeping up her cheeks and a firm kiss imprinted on her forehead that she was sure everyone could see._

Phoebe instinctively glanced at the clock on the wall across from her. She'd been doing it for the past hour, waiting for the minute when she could run outside and drive home. Something was going to happen today, but she didn't know what it was or what it would entail. She just knew it was coming, and that she would definitely enjoy it. A vision had blinded her when she'd stepped out of bed, her mind still foggy with sleep. It had been one of the rare, calming visions she had once every blue moon, and she couldn't remember it. She usually couldn't remember the good ones.

It didn't matter, because it wasn't bad. She was hoping, secretly, in some private place, that it had to with Billie. The clock finally ticked away the last minute and she slid out of her chair, grabbing her purse on the way out the door. She almost ran into Elise on the way, and she had to stumble backwards so she wouldn't knock her down.

"Well, I was gonna ask if you wanted to go to lunch with a few people, but its obvious you're in a hurry somewhere." Elise said, chuckling slightly, her purse hanging off her shoulder. Phoebe smiled a little breathlessly.

"Yeah, you know me." She grinned. "Always going somewhere, doing something." She finished lamely, raising her eyebrows toward the ceiling. Elise eyed her curiously.

"Well, maybe another time." Elise said. Phoebe nodded, already edging around the woman.

"Yep." She replied, halfway to the elevator. She jabbed the down button with her finger and waited impatiently. It took her about twenty minutes to drive from the office to the Manor, and she tapped her fingers against the steering wheel the whole time, playing out some tune she couldn't quite remember. When she finally pulled up, Paige's car- the one Billie had been borrowing for God knows how long –was already parked in the driveway.

Phoebe smiled to herself.

Billie stood by the island in the kitchen, mixing lettuce with fetta cheese and purple onions. It was her day to make lunch, especially since she had been super late the other day. Phoebe usually beat her to the manor, but she had been determined to make it there first today. She felt bad about bailing on the older girl the day before and she wanted to make up for it. She threw the last of the onion down into the bowl and shook it a little. She wasn't a cook, for sure, but she could throw together a salad. She slid in the celery off the cutting board and was dropping it into the overflowing sink when the front door opened. She smiled briefly- couldn't help it.

"Billie?" Phoebe's voice rang out from the foyer and Billie stepped around the island as Phoebe stepped into the kitchen. Both girls grinned when they saw each other- it was sort of pathetic, really.

"Hey." Billie said, still smiling a little foolishly.

"Hi." Phoebe answered, caught between as odd urge to wrap Billie up in a massive bear hug and the sane realization that she was just standing there like an idiot. She moved, sliding her purse off her shoulder and onto the counter. "What are you making?" Billie shrugged, and went back to mixing the ingredients.

"Just a salad- for both of us." She wanted to apologize, but it would come off weird if it didn't mean anything to Phoebe.

"Awesome. Can I help?" Phoebe asked, already rolling the sleeves to her white, patterned blouse.

"Sure." Billie handed her a knife and a carrot, and stayed beside her. She was slicing mushrooms with a practiced hand- a result of much training involving knives and swords. The silence was oddly comfortable and intimate- Phoebe's elbow touched Billie's every other movement. When they finished and dumped their servings into different bowls, they both migrated toward the sunroom and their daily episode of Friends.

"I had a vision this morning." Phoebe said, after their bowls were empty, the show was half over, and a lame commercial about hair removal was blaring on the tv. Billie turned to sound down.

"About what?" She asked. She was stretched out on the couch, legs tucked to the side. Phoebe had propped a pillow against Billie's curled legs and was laying her head on it, her long, dark hair falling in waves near Billie's ankles.

"I don't know. Something good." Phoebe said. "I can't really remember." Billie frowned.

"Wait, is that like-"

"I don't know, honestly. Sometimes I can't remember the good ones." She admitted, sitting up and shifting her position. She leaned back against the couch, still only a few centimeters from Billie, and the blonde girl studied her face with interest. Phoebe glanced over and blushed just the tiniest bit. "What, do I…?" She trailed off when she saw the look in Billie's eyes.

It was ridiculous, honestly. It wouldn't work. They both knew it, Phoebe better than Billie. But in the oddest way it seemed as if it might. There were no secrets or doubts. Nothing to hide, conceal, or otherwise disguise. It was simple, in that effect. It was unbelievably complicated in every other aspect.

Phoebe looked away.

Billie bit her lip and glanced down. She felt a little put out. She didn't understand what was going on any more than the brunette girl- maybe that was it. Maybe Phoebe actually understood it and Billie was just going on instinct. Maybe, the younger girl didn't understand much of this at all.

"Billie…" Phoebe started, unaware of Billie's actions, her own eyes still put aside. Without speaking, Billie stood and lifted their two empty plates. She stepped toward the kitchen, leaving Phoebe on the couch, eyes trailing after the blonde. Sighing, Phoebe picked up the two glasses and followed Billie.

"We have a lunch together everyday." Billie's hands lingered on the rim of the sink. She spoke without turning around, Phoebe's footsteps slowing to a stop behind her. "And we see each other every morning, every night. We spend all weekend together." She was piecing together words she hoped would show Phoebe everything clattering around her mind.

The older girl didn't speak, still hovering a few feet back. Instead, she tugged her lip between her teeth, eyes flicking across Billie, trying desperately to read her. Trying to see things she was hesitant to accept; trying to discover feelings she didn't want to return. Wouldn't work, couldn't work. Little too late for that.

The unspoken sentence was "_It's not normal."_ But Billie didn't want to say the words because she didn't want them to be true. She wanted that normal. She figured she could have it. Phoebe placed the glasses on the island beside her and Billie turned from her spot at the sink.

There was a beat, another. There should have been rationalizations, explanations, but Phoebe couldn't force them through her teeth. Her feet took two steps forward, almost hesitantly, until she hovered, still, a couple feet from Billie. The blonde was dying; the silence was killing her.

She didn't notice she was moving forward- didn't believe she had actually taken those reflective steps- until her fingers were brushing along Phoebe's jaw, her other hand calm on the brunette's waist. She couldn't hold back any longer, and the impulsive side of her had fought its side out. She was breaking more barriers, taboos, then could be counted, but Phoebe's hands moved to her neck and she so didn't care.

They kissed, smoothly, as if it was a normal thing. Billie brought her lips closer until they brushed against Phoebe's, until neither could pull back anymore, and then they pressed together in a mixture of relief and yearning for more. Grips tightened, eyes shut, breath halted.

"I cannot _believe_ she called me for that."

The broke apart, jarringly. Paige stood across from them in the kitchen, already facing the cabinet and apparently oblivious to what she had interrupted. Phoebe coughed once, and Billie darted backwards, almost stumbling. Paige whirled around.

"Hey." Phoebe said, her voice odd, her fingers twitching at her side. Her heartbeat must have been immeasurable, it tore through her chest.

"You scared the crap out of me." Paige said, one hand over her chest. Phoebe smiled breathlessly. Billie was leaning against the sink. The blonde grinned at her Whitelighter and Paige shook her head, barely smiling back. "What are you two up to?" She asked.

They shared a tense, nervous look they hoped she couldn't read- the first one since her arrival- and Phoebe shrugged.

"Just lunch. I gotta go, anyway." She pretended to look at the silver watch on her wrist.

"Alright." Paige said, turned back to the cabinet. Phoebe glanced over, once more, to Billie. The glance lasted for an eternity, a breathless lifetime, before she had to glance away.

They were screwed.

She picked her purse up off the stool and fled the room.


	6. Hulkus Pocus Prt 1

_**Six. Hulkus Pocus**_

Morning sunlight splashed against the white wicker of the chairs, curled delicately around the coffee table, and stopped just short of Phoebe's bare toes. She wiggled them, stretching toward the warm light, and slid down in her a chair a little bit. Across the room from her and painted in white sunlight, Piper flipped through the Book of Shadows, absentmindedly sipping at her cup of coffee. Phoebe's hands tightened around her own cup of coffee and her thoughts jumped around again- something they had always been prone to doing. These days, they always seemed to land on Billie.

The soft material of her tank top rode up Phoebe's stomach as she moved, and she placed her mug onto the bared skin. It was pleasantly warm, and distracting. She needed distracting.

"Come look at this." Piper interrupted Phoebe's mindless morning laziness. Grudgingly, Phoebe pushed up from the soft cushions and padded her bare feet across the room. She paused behind Piper's shoulder and the older girl tilted the book toward her. "See, this is what a Krychek demon is supposed to look like."

She and Paige had been sent by Agent Murphy to catch a demon at Magic School-easy, right? Except the thing was massive and now Piper was obsessing over it, sure that it wasn't right- was a bit more dangerous tham usual. Phoebe, doubtful but open-minded, sipped at her coffee.

"Well, maybe the one you guys were following is just a bigger one." She offered. Piper shook her head.

"No, this wasn't just bigger. This was like going from you to Schwarzenegger." Piper said, and Phoebe could hear the incredulity in her voice. The older girl leaned a bit closer to the book, trailing the words with her eyes as if she could drain the mystery from them.

"That's so weird." Phoebe murmured, sipping from her coffee again.

"Yeah, scary weird." Piper replied, her eyes back to studying the book. Leo entered through the door across the room, two pairs of skis balanced dangerously between his hands. Phoebe glanced up, her eyebrows rising. " Oh good, you found the skis!" Piper exclaimed, immediately distracted. She slid the book off her lap and onto the couch, letting the pages flap shut.

"Yeah, they're kind of old though." He eyed them warily. "Maybe we should just rent new ones, you know." Piper was halfway across the room now and judging the skis with a careful eye. One slid from Leo's hands and landed heavily on his foot. He hopped a couple inches in the air, letting it clatter to the floor. "Ow! Damn it!"

"Watch your language." Piper admonished, not too worried about a dropped ski on a foot. "Wyatt is picking up everything we say lately." She bent over and picked up the ski.

"I'm gonna get some more coffee. You guys want anything?" Phoebe asked, a little tired of having to stay in the real world where people actually thought about things other than young blondes with traveling hands.

"No thanks." Piper said, shooting a glance her way. She turned back to Leo and asked something Phoebe didn't catch. Instead, she took a couple more steps into the kitchen, and placed her cup on the counter. She was reaching for the coffee maker, thoughts completely gone, when she caught sight of a lone ponytail holder tossed to the end of the counter. She remembered the day before, Billie pulling the ponytail holder out of her hair and tossing it to the side when she was done with the salad. Scooping up the plates and moving on.

Smiling to herself, Phoebe picked up the thin string and slipped around her wrist. A reminder, maybe, as if she needed one. A sentimental piece to wrap around her skin. Still smiling, she pulled the pot out and dipped it toward her cup. As she turned back to the sitting room, she saw Paige, her mouth closing with the end of her sentence, and remembered a call from the night before.

"Oh Paige, Henry called for you last night." She said, a tiny, knowing smile blooming on her face. Paige faked confusion- badly.

"Why? What did he want?"

"Uh, I don't know, but I'm pretty sure he wants…you." She finished, a contagious smile growing on her face. If she was happy and had a new crush, then everyone else should be as well. She sipped at her coffee, her smile disappearing behind the ceramic, before reappearing cutely after she swallowed.

"That's ridiculous." Paige said, tilting her head in a very Paige-like way.

"Why? Don't you like him?" Piper cut it. She and Phoebe moved a little closer to their sister, eager to get her latest gossip and see through her paper-thin lies. It was a sibling thing.

"No!" Paige denied. She folded her arms over her chest without really noticing it. Phoebe's smile widened.

"Really? Then why is your face turning red?" She teased. Paige bit at her lip.

"It's not turning red. I probably just put too much blush on." The color went down a little as Paige concentrated on other things. Leo chuckled.

"It's…kinda turning red." He admitted. Paige shot him a decidedly nasty look and the smile melted off his face. Piper, obviously onto the next subject, waved her hand toward Phoebe.

"Okay, why don't you and me go see what the government's not telling us, and-", her gaze darted to Leo, an apologetic look on her face, "-I'll be right back, I swear." She leant over, instinctively, and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek. He bent forward almost as instinctively to receive it.

"Hey." Paige turned on Phoebe. "Don't you have a lunch date?" Phoebe shook her head, already heading toward the door. Piper trailed behind.

"I can't 'til I'm done taking a little hiatus." She said as she passed Paige. The younger girl frowned.

"From lunch?" She asked, perplexed. Phoebe, already in the foyer, called back over her shoulder.

"From men!"

Piper and Leo shared a glance. Paige raised her eyebrows, not sure what to make of it.

"Okay…" She slipped her phone out of her pocket and pressed speed dial as Piper passed by her. Her mind was already refocused on a more pressing matter- finding Billie, wherever the girl was. "Come on, Billie…" She muttered into the phone.

Phoebe was opening the front door when she heard Billie's name. She smiled softly to herself and walked outside. They were contagious, those little smiles.

IOI

Billie, half a dimension away, crept quietly into the Magic School's library. Her heels made next to sound on the carpeted floor, but she moved slowly anyway. Her eyes raked over the stuffed shelves, the ripped books littering the floor beneath them. She was so focused on scanning over the titles that she didn't even notice the demon leering behind her. His deep, cracked voice interrupted her.

"Who are you?" Billie whirled around, surprise written all over her face. She smoothed it away quickly, cocking one eyebrow.

"Me? Ummm…I'm a student. Here at Magic School." She flashed him a clearly faked smile, and adopted the look of a total airhead. "Yeah, you know, I-- I must have got stuck in an astral plane or something." The demon's expression didn't change. She titled her head, pretending to scan the décor. "Did you guys possibly redecorate or something?" The demon launched at her, grasping for her throat. "Ugh!" She grabbed his hand and effortlessly flipped him onto his back, twisting his arm toward her. Pinning her heel into his back, she leant forward to press a slick, sharp knife against his throat. "Move and you're dead." She said, her demeanor completely changed.

"What do you want?" He growled, his rough throat pushing against her blade. She pressed a little harder. Her eyes were narrowed, dangerous, and so caught in the sweat and power of the moment that they were almost black.

"What I want is to find the demon that took my sister fifteen years ago, but since you and your buddies trashed this place, I can't find the books that I need." She slid the blade a little closer, tilted the edge. "So, you're gonna have to find him for me." Her heel pressed deeper. She felt as if she couldn't stop herself. Roughly, she gashed the blade across his neck, until her groaned in pain. "Her name is Christy. Christy Jenkins. Ask around. I'll be back." She shoved his neck down, hard, so that his face slammed roughly into the floor and he let out a low scream.

Her heels clicking against the floor, she walked away. She felt the regret seep into her stomach but, as always, the revenge was stronger.

She was blind, half-drunk on darkness, and a little bit lost in all in her focus.

IOI

They stepped together like some sort of oddly imposing soldiers, heels clicking against marble floors and clerks glancing up with awe in their eyes. They were legends here- for all the wrong reasons. Phoebe thought it was hilarious- the Haliwell sisters as spies. Hilarious, yet oddly believable. Piper pushed open Agent Murphy's door and they walked inside, still side-by-side.

"Ah, good! You're back. How'd it go?" He smiled, turning his chair toward them. Phoebe almost smiled. It was cliché, like Charlie's Angels. Sometimes she loved it, mostly she hated it. Piper crossed her arms over her chest.

"Not good." She answered.

"What do you mean? Where's our demon?" His eyebrows furrowed, and his hands smoothed out on top of the desk

"Our demon? Why don't you tell us a little bit more about 'our demon'?" Piper asked, a hint of sarcasm in her tone.

"Like how the government got him in the first place?" Phoebe added, her own arms mirroring Piper's. Murphy's eyes got a little wide.

"Uh, I don't really know. I wasn't in the loop." He explained, spreading his hands

"Well, you need to get in the loop, and fast, because our demon was a little more powerful than we expected, and I'd like to know why." Piper spat.

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you what I don't know." He was getting flustered now, hands pressed flat against his desk, almost perched on his chair. Piper sighed, turning her head toward her sister.

"Phoebe, go get a premonition off him, see if he's lying." She told her. Phoebe lowered her voice.

"No, I can't." She muttered. Piper frowned, looking back at Murphy.

"What do you mean, you can't? Just go touch him." She muttered back.

"Seriously, I can't. I don't believe in them anymore." Phoebe protested. She couldn't. Everything she wanted now had nothing to do with small babies and little girls. Everything she wanted was more complicated.

"Ugh!" Piper turned completely away from Agent Murphy to face her sister. "What do you mean?" She stepped closer, ignoring Murphy completely.

"Well, they haven't really worked well for me lately so why should I listen to them?" She shoved her hands into her back pockets, tilted back a little.

"That's not true." The older girl's voice was half-incredulous.

"Oh, really? Do I look pregnant to you?" Phoebe shot back, gesturing toward her body.

"Ladies, did you get-" Agent Murphy interrupted, but Piper held out a hand to silence him.

"Hold it." Her eyes stayed focused on Phoebe's face. "I realize you feel this way, and I understand, but you can't give up on your gift."

"My gift gave up on me." Phoebe said simply.

"That's not true!" Piper tried again. But Phoebe was so far through her thinking that nothing Piper said could change that. Her vision had been wrong. She wasn't pregnant- she wasn't getting pregnant any time soon, not with the way things were going with Billie. Last time she checked, biology didn't really work that way. She and Piper engaged in a staring contest, identical brown eyes glaring back and forth.

"Guys! Hey!" Agent Murphy yelled. Both girls whirled toward him. "Did you or didn't get the demon back?" Piper and Phoebe just shifted their eyes and glared at him. Murphy visibly withered beneath their gaze. "Well, that was the objective." He defended. Piper sighed, turning her bodd back to him.

"Are you kidding me? We barely wounded it."

"So, you still gotta go get him!" He really was clueless.

"Dude, are you deaf?" Phoebe asked, frowning angrily at him, her hands on her hips. A millisecond later, a smile almost crept onto her face. Billie was starting to rub off on her.

"What did you guys do to that thing?" Piper asked, stepping a little closer.

"I have no idea, okay? I swear." His hands went straight up, and he pushed backwards in his chair. "But if we don't get it off the streets, we all could get exposed." His eyebrows went up. Piper turned toward Phoebe.

"There's that E word again."

IOI

Billie paused on the front steps of the Haliwell Manor and dipped her head down, scanning her body for any imperfections. Jeans clean, shirt unripped, both shoes on, no visible bruises, necklace in place. Satisfied with her appearance, she pushed open the door. She was supposed to be meeting Paige, but she really had more important things to do at the moment. She was mentally running over everything she had to get done in the next couple of days as she walked into the sitting room.

"Hey, where have you been?"

Billie looked up, surprised, when Paige's voice cut into her thoughts. She played it off quickly- she was getting pretty good at it.

"Class." She answered. Paige's eyebrow went up. Okay, so maybe no so good.

"Oh, really? I've been trying to call you all morning." Billie finally registered the small baby being rocked in Paige's arms. She was delayed for a minute, studying it.

"My cell phone died." She finally returned. Paige's face echoed her disbelief.

"Oh? Yeah. Okay." She shifted the baby on her hip. "Mm-hmm." Sliding out her cell phone, she speed-dialed Billie's cell before the other girl could react. Billie's ring tone- the Black Eyed Peas, or something- sounded from her purse. Billie slid her hand into the purse, quickly turning off the phone and changing the subject in a decidedly unsubtle way.

"Yeah. So, ummm...it's a great baby there. Is it yours?" She looked up from the child to Paige's eyes. The girl was unamused.

"Forget the baby, okay?" She walked over to the crib and laid him down. "Where were you?" She was moving closer now, clearly annoyed. Billie tried the defensive strategy.

"Look, I've been handling this whole demon load just fine so what I do in my time- it's my business." She crossed her arms and Paige stopped where she was.

"You know what?" She tilted her head, crossed her arms. "You're doing the bratty thing, which probably means you're doing something you shouldn't be doing." She squinted a little, eyebrows going up. "Did you go to Magic School?"

"Yes." Billie admitted, and Paige gave her a look, her arms sliding to her waist. Billie tried to head her off. "Yes, okay- but there's information there on my sister, so what do you expect?"

"I expect you to be available when we need you!" Paige's hands were moving now, a sure sign she was pissed. "That is the whole point of us teaching you!"

"Well, I'm not a doctor, okay, I can't be available 24/7!" Billie returned, frustrated with all the information and all the barriers between it and her.

"Yes, actually, you can- and because you weren't around, I'm stuck taking care of this baby now!" Paige exclaimed. Riding off the end of her sentence, a loud crackle echoed in the room. The demon Billie had threatened in the library only an hour ago was back- only bigger, uglier, and whole lot more intimidating. Bilie stumbled back away from it, and Paige reacted instinctively. "Nuersery." Her hands flew out and the baby disappeared in a sparkle of blue lights. Billie moved swiftly, taking a spot beside Paige.

"Remember me, witch?" The demon growled, advancing toward them.

"You know him?" Paige asked, confused, annoyed, frustrated. Billie didn't answer, just slipped a knife from her boot and flicked her wrist, implanting it in the demon's chest with a fierce, trained accuracy. He groaned, kept going, his hand scrabbling for the knife stuck near his heart. When his hand found the handle, he ripped it out and hurled it at Billie, who dodged it just barely.

He moved toward her, stumbling, fast but heavy, strong but uncoordinated, and she moved at him quicked, but catious. He threw a table, a chair out of the way like they were nothing and slammed into Billie before she could anticipate it. She grunted with the force of the impact and slid back a few feet on her butt. The demon turned on Paige, who did the only thing she could.

"Magic School!" She yelled, and he disappeared a second later, deranged and angry.

Billie, panting heavily on the floor, a long, angry scratch dripping at her neck, looked up to meet Paige's stare.

"Okay, so maybe I know him."

IOI

Phoebe pushed through the front door first, annoyance written all over her face. Piper followed close behind, biting the inside of her cheek with her eyes on Phoebe. The younger girl flipped the mail, trying to ignore Piper.

"Can't we just get back to the freaky demon, please?" Phoebe asked, sliding a piece of mail into the back of the pile.

"Yeah, we can. After I deal with you." Piper edged around Phoebe, trying to catch her eyes. The girl looked up, shot Piper a look, and moved to go around her.

"I don't understand why you can't just let this go!" Phoebe said, brushing past Piper. Maybe she'd been impulsive with the whole vision thing, but it was true- she couldn't live her life by them anymore. They just weren't coming true.

"Look, I understand your problems with your premonitions, but why cancel all your dates?" There was a simple answer for that one, but Phoebe wasn't about to voice it. She edged around the truth.

"Because they're me trying to make my premonitions come true."

"So?" Phoebe sighed. Piper was not giving up.

"So, it's not working okay? My conception date has come and gone." She admitted, setting the mall on the table in the foyer.

"Okay, Phoebe, it's okay to feel disappointed."

"No, I'm not disappointed, you know? I'm relieved." Phoebe said, surprised that it felt true. It really took a pressure off, it really eased a commitment. It would come in its own time and she didn't need Piper on her back until then.

"So you don't want a baby?" Piper was completely confused now. Phoebe sighed and abandoned the mail, looking up instead to meet her sister's eyes.

"No, I course I do. I definitely do. Just not right now, okay?" _Not with everything going on with Billie_. "No men, no babies. Just me. What's so wrong with that?" Piper stared into her eyes, trying to find something that made sense.

"Nothing. Nothing is wrong with that, except that it's not you!" She argued. Phoebe just sighed, completely giving up on trying to convince Piper.

"Don't you have a ski trip to get ready for?" She turned back to the mail, but then her head turned right. "What the hell?"

Phoebe had caught sight of Billie sweeping broken glass and wooden shards in the next room. She abandoned her mail on the foyer table and stepped around Piper.

"Language." Piper scolded her. Phoebe kept walking.

"Hi." She called to Billie. She barely got the sentence out, her voice catching in her throat. The sight of the girl made her heart flutter a little faster, and the thought of her...Billie looked up and caught Phoebe's gaze, sharing the briefest of knowing moments. It was suddenly awkward around the other girl- really awkward right now, with their eyes catching and lingering. But Billie smiled, then made an embarrassed face, tilting her head toward the mess. "What happened?" Phoebe asked. Yeah, definitely awkward.

"A demon attacked us." She looked down at the mess. "I guess I kinda tipped him off at Magic School."

"Magic School?" Phoebe asked. "What were you doing there?" Why would she go by herself? She could have been hurt. The older girl felt flustered, charmed. It wasn't helping anything.

"Look, Paige already gave me the 'what were you thinking speech', so- " Billie employed her teenage nobody cares tone and Phoebe, for reasons she couldn't understand, found it completely cute. But also irresponsible. Yeah.

"So, what were you thinking?" Piper interjected angrily.

"Look, I only went there so could get more information on my sister." Billie explained. Piper sighed and put her hand on her forehead, while Phoebe took over.

"I understand you want answers, " Phoebe put her hands to her chest, trying to show Billie she mean it, "we want answers too, but that _cannot_ be your primary focus." Billie met Phoebe's eyes. The older girl didn't break their gaze, just looked back with dark brown orbs that showed everything, told nothing. It hard for Phoebe to try to teach Billie when all she really wanted to do was _touch_ her.

She caught sight of an angry scratch down Billie's neck. Her heart squeezed in her chest, her stomach did an awful dropping thing. "Aw, sweetie, you're hurt." She said, reaching out to touch the younger girl. Billie let her, watching the brunette's face as her hand stretched toward her. When Phoebe's soft fingers brushed her collarbone and pushed away a few strands of hair, Billie looked away.

"Oh, no, that's just a scratch." Billie found her voice, tried to blow it off. Her neck was tingling from Phoebe's touch, her heart thumping a little faster in her chest. _Stupid, stupid, stupid_, she chanted in her mind. Their kiss spun on repeat in her head, taunting her, urging her.

"Okay, but a hair deeper and you would have needed stitches." Phoebe rubbed her arm, trying to keep her hands from reaching and touching again. Trying to keep from things that echoed in her mind. The game they were playing- all quiet smiles and soft touches, private glances, secret kisses- it was wearing on her. It felt wrong in a million different ways, but she couldn't not want it.

"It's really not a big deal, I'm getting used to it." The words were more telling than her shifty eyes. Phoebe and Piper shared a look. "So, anyway, Paige thinks the demon did the same 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' that the one at Magic School did, so whatever got him all 'hulked out' made him able to track me. Which is cool...I mean, bad cool, but still kind of cool." Billie tilted her head, glancing around her at the mess as she finished her ramble.

"So now there's two of them running around out there?" Piper asked, obviously annoyed.

"No, actually I saw yours go 'poof' back at Magic School." Billie answered. "He's dead." She leaned toward Phoebe when she spoke, and her eyes flickered over to the girl more than usual; although, she wouldn't have known unless you'd told her.

"Oooh." Phoebe said, looking over at Piper so she wasn't so obviously staring at Billie. An eyebrow went up. "Murphy'll be excited about that." A baby cried from a few rooms over. Phoebe and Piper both frowned.

"That's not yours." Phoebe said.

"That's not mine." Piper agreed. She started toward the kitchen. Phoebe turned to Billie for a moment, and their eyes met. There was that undercurrent of electricity, that attraction that Phoebe couldn't keep a handle on. She smiled hesitantly and Billie returned it, the slightest hint of sweet in her eyes, the lightest touch of intimacy. Then, Phoebe looked down and Billie went back to her sweeping.

But when Phoebe turned toward the kitchen, Billie's eyes went back to the older girl.


	7. Hulkus Pocus Prt 2

_**Seven. Hulkus Pocus.**_

Billie's hand drifted toward her neck, again, her fingers splayed over the deep scratch marked there. She was frowning again, the corners of her mouth turning down with concentration. Her eyes carefully took in each word scribbled onto the page in the Book of Shadows, but she wasn't processing it. She shifted on her feet, leaning a little closer to the podium.

She pressed a little more evenly on the cut, and pulled her hand away to look, as if it would give some clue to its effect. The frown lingered on her face. Fingers moving quickly, she flipped a couple pages forward in the Book of Shadows. She was getting back into reading when a figure at the door broke her concentration. She glanced up quickly, but it was only Leo. She wasn't sure who she had been expecting.

"Oh, hi. Hey." She said, her hand slipping from her neck quickly.

"Hey." He walked across the room, his eyes dancing over the walls, looking for something.

"How's, uh, packing going?" She watched his path, the easy swing of his shoulders, and the tightness in them when he heard her words. There was laughter in his voice, though, and annoyance, when he answered her.

"Ah, it's great. Great." He was grumbling. "Two day trip, Piper thinks she needs a third suitcase." He found what he was looking for and hefted the old-fashioned, ugly-yellow suitcase from a shelf. "Making any progress?" He asked, turning back to her, peeking over her shoulder.

"No." Billie laid her fingers on the edge of the book, eyes dropping back to it. "There's nothing in this book that says how to supercharge a demon." She sighed. Leo moved a step closer, the suitcase hanging from his hand.

"Well, it means none of their ancestors every encountered anything like it before. It's just a book of their experiences." He paused, glancing over at her. "Have you started your own Book of Shadows?" Billie frowned, again, almost imperceptibly.

"No. Why, should I?" She bent her head in his direction.

"Yeah, I think every witch should have one. You can pass it on from generation to generation."

"Oh." Billie was too caught up the problems of the moment to really respond to his advice.

"You're okay?" Leo asked, his Whitelighter instincts kicking in.

"Yeah." She paused, pushed a little further, words slipping out of her mouth. She had so much going on that she wasn't sure what was bothering her the most. "You know, I'm just a little worried." She caught herself, though she almost hadn't realized she was slipping. "I mean, about all these…demons."

"Well, get used to it." Leo warned, but his voice was friendly and warm. He headed toward the door, but Billie called him back, the question jumping from her throat.

"Hey! Are witches and demons different species?" She asked, both hands on the book, trying to look nonchalant.

"What?!" Leo asked, stopped at the entrance. He was amused, but a little confused. She elaborated.

"You know, like dogs and cats, how they can't get each other sick and stuff." Leo didn't answer for a minute, and Billie held her breath, hoping he wouldn't pry.

"Uh… I guess so." His eyebrows were up. "Why?"

"Ok. Good. No reason." She flashed him a silly smile. "Have a good trip."

"Thanks. If we ever get there." He grumbled on his way out, suitcase hanging from one hand. Her eyes followed his figure until he disappeared down the stairs, and her hand went up to her neck. Again. She looked queasy, her eyes shifty, and her fingers danced over the cut.

She flipped through the Book again, and tried to keep her hand by her side.

IOI

_"The woman is a love machine and if she gives up on men, then something is very, very wrong..."_

Phoebe slid one hand down the rail, running her other fingers through her curly dark hair. Her head was pounding from little Ramon's incessant crying and her feet hurt from chasing that massive demon all day. _Krycheck demon, my ass._ She thought, as she descended the last few steps. She could hear Leo and Piper murmuring to each other at the top of the stairs, but she didn't bother to send them a dirty look she knew they couldn't see. Piper was right- Phoebe was pushing the baby back on her. She couldn't think about babies or men or relationships, didn't feel like dealing with them, not when all she could think about was-

Billie.

Phoebe walked into the kitchen to see the young, blonde girl standing before the microwave as it buzzed quietly.

"You know you're not supposed to look into those things when they're going." Phoebe teased. Billie turned around quickly, surprised, and Phoebe caught sight of the nasty scratch down her neck, half-hidden by strands of golden hair. A little deeper and it would have needed stitches. She winced internally.

"Is that what happened to you?" Billie asked, eyebrows raised to fake innocence, but a soft smile appeared on her face before she could really sell it. Phoebe chuckled as she rounded the island in the center of the kitchen. She opened the cabinet to Billie's right and glanced over at the younger girl.

"How are you doing? Feeling hulky or anything?" Billie shook her head, not meeting Phoebe's eyes. She stared into the glowing microwave. Phoebe paused, her hand resting on the baby bottle sitting on the counter. "Are you okay?" She asked softly. It wasn't a straightforward question- not for them. Not anymore. Billie looked up and met her eyes, then smiled.

"Yeah." She murmured back, and suddenly Phoebe understood why Piper and Leo were always mumbling to each other- when the words were pressed between just two people they felt more intimate than any quick touch. Without noticing it, Phoebe had edged closer to the blonde. "Are you okay?" Billie echoed the question, stressing the _you_. Phoebe nodded.

"Yeah." She smiled quickly, meeting the girl's clear eyes. This time, Billie was moving closer. Phoebe chuckled a little nervously, the sound dying in her throat; it wasn't like she'd never- she'd been the rebel in high school, of course she'd...It was just because Billie was so young. She just felt like she was taking advantage. But when Billie smirked a little, her lips curving, Phoebe's eyes instinctively darted down to them. She bit her own lip.

They moved closer and closer, and Phoebe titled her head to the side for a better angle. The microwave dinged, but they ignored it, and Phoebe forgot about the bottle near her hand. She turned her body to face Billie as the blonde did the same.

"Are we doing this again?" Billie breathed between them. Phoebe kept coming closer.

"I think so." She answered. Another breath and- her lips pressed into Billie's, gentle at first, but then her hands moved to the girl's waist and Billie's tentative fingers pressed against her face. The kiss was slowly intensifying when Billie suddenly pulled away, ripping out from under Phoebe's hands. Her eyes were hurt and confused- pained.

"Oh my god, Billie I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking-"

"No-" The girl interrupted her, raising a hand, her eyes torn, but she just as quickly shut her mouth. Her hand was placed on her stomach. "I-" She started again, but pain shot through her face and she stopped.

"Billie, what's wrong?" Phoebe asked, halting the self-doubt and focusing on the girl before her. Suddenly, with a look of confusion, every part of Billie melted, shifted, altered. A second of movement and then she looked nothing like the Billie Phoebe had just kissed. "Billie?" Phoebe questioned hesitantly. The monster looked up and roared. She flung out her arm, sending Phoebe across the kitchen and into a cabinet. The older girl let out a high scream.

A few seconds later, Piper came running down the stairs just in time to see Phoebe flung out of the kitchen and onto the table in the foyer. It cracked beneath the force and Phoebe scrambled up.

_Billie_...

Piper grabbed Phoebe's hand and hauled her to her feet, looking around the room for the demon. The younger sister cowered behind Piper and her dangerous abilities, but when Piper caught sight of Billie and brought up her hands, Phoebe spoke quickly.

"No, Piper, its Billie!" The older woman stopped, eyeing the monster that looked nothing like the blonde. It turned at Phoebe's voice and caught sight of them, then roared desperately. Piper's hands came back. "No! No, you might blow her up!" Phoebe said, putting her own hands over Piper's. Billie came running toward them, tossing aside a coffee table like it was nothing. Phoebe, half-behind Piper, watched the monster come closer. When it jumped over a couch, heading straight for them, Phoebe threw up her hands and ducked. "Okay, blow her up!" Piper flicked her hands out and hit it with a small explosion that sent Billie flying back and into a wall. She knocked her head and slid down against the wall, apparently unconscious.

Phoebe came back from behind Piper. She frowned and eyed the young girl- though she wasn't really just a girl anymore -cautiously. She had turned as hulky and powerful as the other two demons, only Billie wasn't a demon, so...

"What the hell?" Piper asked, not voicing the very large fear she was harboring. Phoebe shook her head, at a loss, and eyed the thing that just barely held a resemblance to Billie. It hurt to see her knocked out up against a wall and it had hurt worse to see her blown at by Piper. She couldn't tell herself that the need to protect her was just family stuff anymore. She couldn't tell herself a lot of stuff anymore, not since Billie had pressed her lips against Phoebe's a day or so ago. Her delusions were crumbling at her feet, and it was scarier than it should have been.

"I don't know what happened, I mean one second she was-" There was the tiniest pause and Phoebe inserted a little lie. "-helping me warm up the milk and the next she was throwing me around the room like a rag doll." Phoebe kept her distance, just barely restraining herself from going toward the younger girl. She brought her hands to her face, covered her mouth worriedly. Footsteps clicked down the foyer.

"What happened, another demon attack?" Paige asked as she walked inside.

"Not another demon, it's...Billie." Phoebe explained, gesturing toward the... thing lying by the wall.

"That's Billie?" Paige paused. "What happened to her?" Phoebe bit at her nail. She couldn't take her eyes off the younger girl; she had to make sure she was safe. And also that she wouldn't jump up and try to kill them again.

"We don't know." Piper answered, frowning toward the young blonde monster.

"Where's Ramon?" Paige asked quickly.

"He's safe, he's with Leo, uhh right now we need to figure out how to help her-" Piper said, an edge of worry in her voice. Phoebe cut in.

"Before she goes 'poof' too." Phoebe echoed the girl's words, feeling a tug on her heart as she said them. She looked up at Paige and the girl echoed her worried look.

"Maybe we should call the Elders." Paige suggested.

"Maybe you're right." Piper agreed, still watching Billie. "I'll go do that. Paige-"

"Yeah, I'm gonna get the baby outta here, I got a photo of his dad so it should take about two seconds to scry for him." Paige disappeared back up the stairs.

"Phoebe, why don't you stay with, uh...Billie here." Piper said. Phoebe nodded, her eyes still on Billie because they'd never left. She started to squat down in front of the girl.

"Ok, hurry." Phoebe said. As Piper walked into the kitchen, Phoebe knelt before Billie. She let out a quiet sigh laced with worry. In front of her, Billie made a soft noise and turned her head, still unconscious and hulked out. Phoebe reached out, barely thinking about it, to touch her face. She pulled back before her fingers met skin. This wasn't Billie, this was...hulked out Billie and they needed to help her fast. She couldn't go "poof". Phoebe wouldn't let her. It had only been fifteen minutes ago that Billie had been completely fine, half-flirting with Phoebe in the living room, and barely five since she had been- well, kissing Phoebe. The older girl tugged her lip between her teeth.

Ten minutes passed as Phoebe sat in front of Billie, watching carefully for any sign she was waking up or ...she couldn't think about it. Finally, she grew tired of staring at the unfamiliar face. She stood up and walked into the living room to get a pillow. The younger girl didn't look comfortable and even if she was acting like a demon, Phoebe couldn't stand it. As she picked out the biggest, softest one, her thoughts slowly shifted.

Something was building between her and Billie- it was there, right on the surface. There in Phoebe's traveling eyes when Billie wore midriff-baring tank tops and tight jeans. There, in Billie's lingering glances, the way she slid too close to Phoebe when they spoke. It was obvious, maybe to both of them, and scary, because it was so new. Definitely different.

Slowly, the brunette witch started back toward Billie, holding a pillow in her hand. She knelt down next to the girl and her mind drifted back a few days. They had been...In front of her, Billie shook, emitting low noises from her throat. Phoebe was pulled from her memory.

"Piper! Something's happening to Billie!" Phoebe yelled, backing up a little in case the girl tried to attack. Billie shook a couple more times, making soft noises and then, just as suddenly, she shifted and altered back into the real Billie. Phoebe had never been so happy to see her face.

"Oh no." Piper said, hovering by the kitchen.

"Oh no?" Phoebe repeated. Damn it. "What does 'oh no' mean? What did the Elders say?"

"They think its some kind of virus and she got it from the scratch." Piper explained.

"So the demon gave this to her?" A flash of revenge hollowed through her.

"If we don't find an antidote soon... she'll die." Phoebe had felt the words coming, but she hadn't expected them to sting so much. She froze for an instant, then moved down beside the girl, speaking softly.

"Well, no, we can't let her die." Her voice rose on the last word, breathy and half-desperate. "There's gotta be something we can do, we can't just do _nothing_, Piper." She felt helpless, which wasn't something she was used to. It had been a while since she'd had to worry about somebody else in their fights, somebody romantic, somebody new.

"Well, we gotta figure out where it all started and who it all started from." Piper said as Phoebe, pillow still in her arms, squatted beside the now human Billie. It hurt her more when the girl had Billie hair and a Billie nose and Billie lips then it had when she was hulked. "Paige, where are you?" Piper called. Phoebe folded her arms over the pillow and tied her fingers together, her worried eyes still on Billie's face. Paige appeared behind her in a flurry of blue lights.

"What, what happened?" Their voices seemed off in the distance as Phoebe watched Billie, looking for a sign of awareness.

"We got to get to Agent Murphy's, I'll explain later, quick, quick." Piper said and the two disappeared as quickly as Paige had came, in the same twinkle and flurry. Phoebe let her arms down and stared at Billie's scratched and pale face. She bit her lip, but she was too used to what she did to cry. Reaching forward, she brushed a hair from Billie's face, let her fingers trail down her chin.

"We'll help you, I promise."


	8. Hulkus Pocus Prt 3

_**Eight. **_

Phoebe slowly eased Billie down onto the couch, one arm wrapped around her small waist, the other light on the girl's hand. Billie groaned a little as she lay down and Phoebe frowned to herself. She carefully pushed a pillow behind the barely conscious blonde's head and picked up the blanket she had laid behind her. Tucking it in around Billie, her eyes went to the young girl's face. She was surprised to see Billie watching her with half-closed eyes. The blonde opened her mouth as if to say something, but Phoebe reached her hand out and laid one finger on the girl's lips.

"Save your strength." She advised her. Carefully, she moved to Billie's side and perched on the couch, wrapping her arm around the girl's shoulders, pulling her close. She leant back and let out a soft sigh, then looked down at Billie. She was doing what she had wanted for days now- weeks even- but it wasn't worth it. She was touching her, so painfully close, but Billie was pale and sick and barely awake. It scared her more than it should have.

She reached over, picked up a glass of cold water, and held it toward the girl. Billie leaned forward a little, but her hands were too weak to take the cup herself. Carefully, sweetly, Phoebe put the cup to Billie's mouth and let her drink. After a few sips, Billie sat back, a little better and more aware.

"Thanks." She said, her voice rougher than usual. Phoebe unconsciously moved her fingers on the girl's bare shoulder. Billie let out a breath of air. "Wow, I must be pretty bad off if you're waiting on me hand and foot." She half-joked. Phoebe smiled tightly.

"Well don't get used to it, because you're gonna be just fine." Her voice broke a little on the _just fine_. She bit at her lip. Absently, her fingers stroked Billie's soft shoulder, trying to reassure both of them.

"Am I?" Billie said, her voice a little stronger. She leant her head back on Phoebe, breathed in her soft perfume and looked up to meet the older girl's dark eyes. She said the words stronger than she felt them. "I'm dying, aren't I?" Phoebe shook her head, denying what she knew to be truth, because she honestly couldn't even speak the words aloud.

"No." Was all she managed, but she thought Billie could see through it. "You are not dying." Billie's soft colored eyes gazed up into hers and Phoebe tried not to tear up. She was so _scared_, though. "Listen, do you have _any_ idea how many times I have almost died in the past seven years?" Billie smiled a little at the words. Her eyes left Phoebe's.

"Yeah, but this is different." She breathed in. "I'm sorry, I should have listened to you." She started, but Phoebe cut her off, her voice firm with a hint of a plea.

"Stop it." She stroked Billie's shoulder softly. "It's okay. We're gonna save you, and we're gonna save magic while we're at it." The false bravado caught in her throat.

"How can you save magic if you don't even believe in your own anymore?" Billie asked, stealing Phoebe's gaze again. Phoebe titled her head a little bit, surprised to hear the words come out of the girl's mouth and curious as to how they got there. A nasty little hesitation throwing her off. "I heard you talking to Piper." Billie continued. Phoebe sighed and looked away, out the window. Billie could tell Phoebe didn't want to answer, or couldn't, so she moved on. "Phoebe." She said quietly. The older girl turned her eyes back to Billie to see the girl's gaze lingering on her mouth.

"Kiss me." Billie breathed, just a hint of a question in her voice. Phoebe, with a few seconds hesitation, put the glass down on the table and moved to kneel on the floor. She lingered over Billie. She didn't bother asking if she was sure, because Billie's eyes said it all. She tilted her head down and pressed her lips against Billie's, soft and sweet. Her hand slid onto her face, tracing curves, moving her fingertips into the girl's hair. Billie's hand, weak and a little shaky, moved up to hold Phoebe's own against her face. The younger girl's lips moved against Phoebe's and the world stopped for a few long seconds.

Finally, when Phoebe pulled back, Billie looked stronger. At least, her eyes did. Her face was still paling, her eyes darkening under the light. Phoebe looked at her for a second and then smiled gently.

"I'll be right back. I'm gonna get you some more ice." She said, standing up and picking up the bowl on the table. She let her hand linger on the girl's face for a second before she moved into the kitchen.

Holding the bowl beneath the ice dispenser, she pressed a few times to no avail. The light flashed but no ice appeared. She sighed, annoyed, and opened the fridge to get some. The door was half-open, she was looking in, when something deep just _shattered._ She slammed the door closed and whirled around, hurling the bowl toward the counter where it bounced to the ground. She ran shaky fingers up and through her hair and walked away, toward the kitchen table.

Her eyes were tearing up. She was so freaking scared.

She slid down into a chair, burying her face in her hands, when she heard the unmistakable twinkle of orbing. She lifted her head up and sniffed, wiping her fingers over her eyes.

"How's Billie?" Paige asked. Phoebe sucked it up and wiped the last tears from her eyes.

"Not good." She said, glancing over at Piper. "What did you guys find out?"

"It was a government experiment. The mixed things they shouldn't have." Piper explained.

"Basically, they're demon was the _Outbreak _monkey that caused all of this." Paige simplified.

"Okay, so if they made it they must have a cure, right?" Phoebe demanded hands flat on the table before her. Piper slowly shook her head.

"Well, they don't even know how they created it." She countered.

"Yeah, you don't know that for sure. I mean, for all we know this could have been their intention."

"Phoebe, it's not a conspiracy, they just screwed up." Piper crossed her arms tight over her chest. "We had a shot at an antidote and they screwed that up, too."

"What shot?"

"They injected somebody with Krycheck's blood and it had no effect." Paige said. Phoebe shut her eyes for a moment.

"Okay, then, maybe the cure is in the blood, right?" Phoebe suggested. She had to find something, anything. She would find something- they just had to work at it. Piper sighed. She was used to the emotional side of Phoebe, but it'd been a long time since it had come out so strong. She took a deep breath and sat down next to the frantic girl.

"Ok, look, this is all we've got." She held an ID tag out to Phoebe. "And what we don't have is enough time. We've got to find this Patient X, convince him to give us some of his blood so that we can make an antidote, fix us and then fix Billie. Even if we pool all of our powers together, we may not have enough time." Piper laid the ID on the table. Phoebe was silent, staring down at her hands. Finally, she looked up, an idea in her eyes.

"Then let's get stronger." She looked at her sister's faces. "Let's get Billie to infect us."

"What? Are you _nuts_? Phoebe, we could _die_." Paige moved forward, making a face at Phoebe. Piper remained calm. Phoebe looked up, challenging her.

"Not if we find the antidote first."

"Still, there's no guarantee it's gonna work, it's very risky." Piper shook her head. Phoebe scoffed, looking away so they wouldn't see the desperation in her eyes.

"Yeahh." She stared at the wall. "Tell that to Billie." Another pause, and then she looked back at her sisters, her tone a little softer. "Look, I don't see the point of having powers if we can't use them to save someone we care about." She pushed up out of her seat and walked past them. Piper titled her head to the side, a little put off by Phoebe's sudden exit. She and Paige shared a look and quickly followed her out.

"Billie." Phoebe moved around to girl's side. She kneeled down again, repeating the position she had been in a little while ago. The girl was asleep. "Billie, wake up." She said, looking down at her, at soft lips she had claimed as her own. At someone she couldn't lose- the blonde didn't move. "Billie, wake up." Phoebe repeated, a little urgently. The girl blinked her eyes open sleepily, making a small noise, and Phoebe let out a breathless sigh of relief. "I think we figured out a way to save you. But we're gonna need your help." Phoebe reached down beside her,

Billie frowned when she saw the knife Phoebe was unsheathing. Her brain started working and she shook her head a little.

"Wait, no, nonono." She mumbled, realizing what the older girl was going to do.

"It's okay." Phoebe said. "Trust us." Their eyes met for a moment and Billie nodded, just a little. Phoebe gave her a close-lipped, grim smile and looked down at the knife in her hand.

"Should we tell Leo?" Paige asked, from the other side of the couch.

"No, we know what he's gonna say." Piper looked down at the other two, distracted, as she spoke. Phoebe made a pained sigh as she ran the knife down her hand, making a small cut in her palm. Beside her, Billie made a small noise and looked away. That wasn't right. Phoebe passed the knife on to Piper.

"C'mon." Piper said to Paige who made a disagreeing noise. Phoebe leaned over and pressed her hand softly into Billie's injured neck. She looked down and the met the girl's eyes. She had to stop herself from leaning down, pressing their lips together, reassuring her somehow, with something. Instead, she smiled confidently, assuredly, and didn't break the gaze. "Oh, c'mon it won't hurt-" Piper sliced down Paige's hand "-much." Paige made a tiny noise and Piper quickly cut her own hand.

Phoebe stretched her hand over the couch to grab her sisters', leaving soft, comforting fingers on Billie's arm. They pressed their hands together, their blood and Billie's mixing. Beneath their clasped hands, Billie began to twitch and shake. Phoebe looked down, worried. Piper flicked the fingers on her uninjured hand and Billie froze in place. They released and Paige eyed Billie worriedly.

"How long's that gonna last?" She asked.

"Hopefully long enough." Piper said, a bit softer than usual.

Phoebe watched Billie, her heart crumbling in her chest.


	9. Hulkus Pocus Prt 4

_**Nine. **_

Leo's wrapped his fingers around the edge of the stand, his tired eyes boring into the Book of Shadows. His blonde hair flopped into his eyes but he didn't bother brushing it away. He squinted. Vaguely, he registered footsteps coming up the hallway. When the attic door opened, his gaze remained on the Book.

"I haven't found an antidote yet." He admitted, finally glancing up. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige stood before him in a row. Piper had that look on her face… He frowned, started to speak.

"That's okay. I think we did." Piper said, then twisted her neck to the side. It cracked loudly and Leo's frown deepened. Before he had a chance to say anything, the three girls before him _morphed_, their skin melting down and sliding into something not altogether human. Leo's eyes widened.

"Holy crap."

Piper, deformed almost past recognition, snarled at him.

"Language!" She shrieked, backhanding him across the face. Leo flew halfway across the room, landing not so gracefully in a pile of boxes. Phoebe reacted swiftly, reaching for her sister with bulky arms.

"Leave Leo alone!" Her anger was almost as irrational as Piper's, and the oldest sister struggled under her grasp.

"He's _my_ husband!" Piper yelled back, finally ripping away from Phoebe. Paige, apparently eager to jump in, just shoved Piper away from Phoebe. "What'd you do that for?" Piper snarled. Paige shoved her again.

"I just felt like it!" Paige yelled back. Across the room, Leo lifted himself from a pile of crushed boxes, brushing at dirt on his arms.

"Stop it! You guys are gonna kill each other!" The three half-demon sisters turned to look at him. "How did this happen?" He moved closer to them, his eyes a little wide.

"We made it happen!" Phoebe responded defensively, crossing her arms over her chest. Her vision was a little blurry with rage, but something was unreachable in the back of her mind, some nagging memory.

"All right, we have work to do." Piper said. It seemed to snap them out of it. Leo watched as a slightly surreal scene unfolded: Phoebe swept a massive pile of books of the potion table with an easy swipe of her hand, and Piper held out a plastic card to Paige who swung a pendulum over the city map. It began to swing uncontrollably, faster than Leo had ever seen it go. His eyes widened a little more.

IOI

Phoebe was exhausted. Her bones were aching, her muscles where burning, her head was _pounding_. Maybe she was getting old. She took another sip of her tea, looking up from the steam when Leo walked in.

"Do you know when Piper and Paige are getting back?" He asked, lifting his own mug from the rack above the island.

"Pretty soon. I'm sure that talk with Murphy won't last long." Phoebe smirked. Leo shook his head.

"I'm just glad you managed to pull everything off, especially considering the danger you put yourself in." His tone was stern now and Phoebe glanced away. She didn't regret an instant of it. How could she?

"Gotta do what you gotta do." Was Phoebe's reply. She stared back into her mug. "I just wish the demons hadn't gotten the cure, too." She sighed. Suddenly, her eyes lifted, her body tensing in the silence. "Did you hear that? Is Billie up?" She didn't bother looking to Leo for an answer. Sliding out of her stool, she grabbed the hot cup of coffee out of Leo's hands and moved into the living room. Leo smiled good naturely.

Billie was sitting up, her eyes darting around the room in surprise when Phoebe walked in. The older girl's heart was already pumping. Fueling her relief at seeing the girl moving and breathing, a little bit of color back into her cheeks, It didn't matter if Billie's last request- the kiss, the touch –had been caused by desperation, as long as the younger girl was okay. As long as she was still there.

"Whoa! Easy, easy." Phoebe moved to Billie's side as the girl sat up and leaned against the back of the couch. "Slow." She handed Leo's coffee over and grinned. They ended up a few inches apart, Phoebe's arm resting comfortably behind the blonde. Billie took in Phoebe's easy-going smile and glanced around.

"Umm…what happened?" She asked, her voice husky from sleep. Phoebe's smile shifted into something resembling adoration. She caught it before Billie did, and it almost surprised her. She lifted her arm and rested her head on her hand.

"Cliff Notes version: We hulked out, kicked ass, and saved the world." She smirked, leaning a little closer. "You know, just another day at the office." She pressed her fingers into her forehead and a lone curl of dark hair trailed past her eye. Billie looked over, her eyes straying to the piece.

"Yeah, I can see that." She admitted.

"We got the antidote to the Elders and they're curing everyone as they speak." Phoebe continued.

"What about demons?" Billie was just a shard of hopeful. Her leg brushed Phoebe's and her breath stuttered for a moment. Ridiculous.

"They got the antidote, too." Phoebe said, frowning a little. Billie couldn't help it anymore- that tiny curl, that soft pout, the accidental brush- she had to _touch_. She stretched her fingers out and brushed the hair behind Phoebe's ear. The older girl's skin blushed pinker beneath her fingertips.

"You guys risked yourselves to save me." Billie said. Phoebe smiled back sweetly.

"Well, we gotta keep you around so you can find your sister, right?" She half-teased. They were inches apart now, both leaning back against the couch. Phoebe's dipped her head further in her hand, edged a little closer.

"I don't know what to say." Billie breathed out. Her heart was beating double-time. She really couldn't think.

"You don't have to say anything." Phoebe reassured her. "We think of you as part of the family now." She moved her own hand, reaching up to brush away Billie's messy hair. "Not gonna let anything happen to you."

The sound of orbing cut in and Phoebe pulled her hand away smoothly, carefully removing her body from Billie's. She had been half-expecting it. She didn't know how to explain her and Billie. She didn't know if there was much to explain.

Her two sisters shimmered into sight. When the sparkle cleared and Piper saw Billie, she smiled.

"Hey sunshine! Good to see some color in those cheeks." She grinned cheekily and Paige chimed in.

"Yeah, grey and pasty- not your color scheme." Billie, still a little lost in Phoebe's hands, could only smile.

"How'd it go with Murphy?" Phoebe took over, her arm still loose around Billie's shoulders.

"Well, he decided we were a little too difficult to work with, so I don't think we'll be hearing from him any time soon." Piper smirked, sarcasm dripping through her words.

"How rude!" Phoebe exclaimed, leaning back on her hand. She grinned.

"Meh." Was Piper's only reply.

"Well, if you guys will excuse me, I'm gonna go check on little Ramon." Paige smiled again, and it slid up into her eyes. Piper raised an eyebrow.

"Don't you mean Henry?" The oldest sister teased.

"No." Paige frowned, but she was blushing. "I mean Ramon."

"Kiss him for me." Phoebe grinned, the sweetness from before slipping back into her tone. Paige's eyebrows went straight up.

"Henry?"

"No! Ramon." Phoebe chuckled. Paige sighed.

"Oh. Okay." She waved once more to Billie on the couch and orbed out. Piper eyed her sister, hands on her hips.

"He got to you, didn't he?" She accused. Billie turned to Phoebe to watch for a reaction.

"Don't you have some kind of ski trip to get ready for?" Phoebe avoided answering, her arm back around Billie. She was kind of anxious to be alone. She tried to ignore what that meant.

"Yeah." Piper admitted.

"Yeah." Phoebe suggested, and Piper rolled her eyes. She disappeared up the stairs and Billie laughed, leaning a little closer to Phoebe.

"I want that." She said quietly, half her face pressed into Phoebe's collarbone. Phoebe wrapped a hand around the girl's soft blonde head, stroking her fingers through Billie's hair.

"I know, sweetie." She pressed a kiss into Billie's head. "And we're gonna help you get it."


End file.
